Landau Network - Centro Volta

EU CBRN CoE Project 18

International Network of Universities and Institutes for raising awareness on Dual-use concerns in Biotechnology

Meeting of Experts

Geneva 7 August 2014

EU CBRN Risk Mitigation CoE Initiative

The initiative is implemented and funded by the European Commission in cooperation with the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI). The European External Action Service (EEAS) is also involved in the follow up of the initiative.

The Initiative is developed with the technical support of relevant international and regional organisations, the EU Member States and other stakeholders, through coherent and effective cooperation at the national, regional and international level.

www.cbrn-coe.eu

The Initiative is present in more than 40 partner countries, grouped around eight Regions:

• African Atlantic Façade; • Central Asia (under development); • Eastern and Central Africa; • Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (under development); • Middle East; North Africa; • South East Asia; • South East Europe, Southern Caucasus, Moldova, Ukraine.

Project 18 “International Network of Universities and Institutes for raising awareness on Dual-use concerns in Biotechnology ” is

implemented within this framework.

EU CBRN Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence Initiative

Contracting Authority United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI)

Coordinator Landau Network - Centro Volta (LNCV), Italy

Geographical Scope International

Duration 24 months (1st January 2013 - 31st December 2014)

Total budget € 400,000

Project Framework

The Coordinator

www.landaunetwork.org

The Landau Network - Centro Volta (LNCV) is a non-profit and non-governmental organization specialized in the creation of international networks of experts to support scientific cooperation, global security and disarmament.

LNCV was established in Como in 1995 within the Centro di Cultura Scientifica “Alessandro Volta”.

The project consortium is composed of 18 partner universities and

institutes in 14 countries.

The wide range of expertise represented in the consortium includes science and biotechnology but also ecology, political science, law, philosophy, bioethics, public health, agriculture and medicine.

Thanks to this variety, dual use issues can be addressed from multiple points of view.

The Consortium

The Consortium - 5 CoE Regions -

South East Europe, Southern Caucasus, Moldova and Ukraine Georgia - Agrarian University of Georgia Ukraine - Palladin Institute of Biochemistry Moldova - National Center of Public Health

Middle East Jordan - Middle East Scientific Institute for Security Jordan - Royal Scientific Society Lebanon - National Council for Scientific Research

African Atlantic Façade Morocco - University Mohammed V-Agdal

North Africa Morocco - University Abdelmalek Essaadi

South East Asia Philippines - College of Medicine at University of the Philippines Manila

The Consortium

Other countries involved Pakistan - Quaid-i-Azam University of Islamabad Yemen - Taiz University

Europe Netherlands - Delft University of Technology Germany - Hamburg University (Research Group for Biological Arms Control) Italy -University of Milan (Sacco Hospital) Italy - University of Turin Portugal - Coimbra University Sweden - Uppsala University

Objectives

Developing a network of universities and research institutes across several countries and regions. Promoting the cooperation and the exchange of educational and informational resources. Creating scientific cooperation occasions (conferences, workshops, seminars) for the members of the network and for students and young scientists of the countries and regions involved.

Project Activities 2013

- Stakeholders -

Identification of Stakeholders

With the purpose of mapping the different local situations, each local partner of the consortium has identified a number of potential stakeholders, i.e. universities, institutes and organizations from the private and public sectors that: • Deal with bio-safety/bio-security/dual use;

• Are relevant for awareness raising strategies;

• Might take part, directly or indirectly, in the project.

Gaps, Needs and Situation Analysis

Each local partner carried out a survey by distributing a questionnaire to professors and faculty members of their and other institutes in the country.

The purpose was to gather useful information on:

•the current educational opportunities, •the level of awareness, •the interviewees’ opinions and attitudes

. . . in the field of biotechnology and dual use.

Project Activities 2013

- Gap Analysis -

A total of 376 professors, researchers and faculty

members have taken part in the survey.

Through a series of seminars, participating universities seek to promote awareness of bio-safety, bio-security and dual use among students at various stages of higher education.

9 seminars have so far taken place, for a total of 531 students/young scientists:

Project Activities 2014

- Seminars -

25 March Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

27 March Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan

17 April Mohammed V-Agdal University, Rabat, Morocco

25 April Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, Kiev, Ukraine

30 April Faculty of Sciences - Saint Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon

5-6 May National Center of Public Health, Chisinau, Moldova

14-15 May Mohammed V-Agdal University, Rabat, Morocco

23-24 May Abdul Wali Khan University, Chitral, Pakistan

24-25 June Al Akhawayn University, Ifrane, Morocco

29-30 July College of Medicine - University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines

Project Activities 2014

- Seminars -

The use of active learning methodologies and group exercises during seminars has shown to significantly enhance participants’ understanding of the key concepts and as such, has received positive feedback from students and trainers alike.

In some cases students were asked to develop a poster summarizing the concepts discussed during the day.

Regional Working Meetings are important occasions to:

•Present the project to other institutes and experts of the region;

•Discuss opportunities and challenges related to education, awareness and misuse prevention in biotechnology.

5 meetings will be held throughout 2014, in many CoE Regions:

18 Feb 2014 Tbilisi, Georgia South East Europe, Southern Caucasus, Moldova and Ukraine

16 May 2014 Rabat, Morocco African Atlantic Façade

21 May 2014 Ifrane, Morocco North Africa

17 Jun 2014 Amman, Jordan Middle East

September 2014 Manila, Philippines South East Asia

Project Activities 2014

- Regional Working Meetings -

Production of materials

In order to support the local partners in their awareness raising initiatives, the European partners of the consortium have produced a number of educational materials focusing on different aspects of bio-safety, bio-security and dual use. Materials are designed to be

Effective, Ready to use and Suitable to the different contexts where they will be needed.

Web Platform

To facilitate the dissemination and sharing of the educational materials, a web platform has been set up allowing participating as well as potentially interested institutions to access a range of relevant materials, exchange experiences and foster networks.

www.landaunetwork.org/index.php/e-learning

News & Forum Guidelines for Seminars

Seminars Regional Working Meetings

Scientific Aspects Ethical Aspects

Environmental Aspects Policy & Legal Aspects

Reference Manuals Audiovisual Materials

Platform sections:

Key Messages arising from Project 18

Endorsing a dialogue between the local scientific community and the institutions is important in order to make the results achieved truly sustainable; or else projects would remain confined to the first group, without translating into future actual rules and legislation.

Active learning seminars are effective tools for introducing life science students to the concepts of bio-safety, bio-security and dual-use.

One way to encourage universities to introduce new courses on bio-security and dual-use is by providing them with ad hoc open-source basic materials taking into account the limited teaching time available.

Landau Network - Centro Volta

Contacts:

Prof. Maurizio Martellini, Project Leader maurizio.martellini@centrovolta.it

Ms. Alice Baldini, Project Manager alice.baldini@centrovolta.it