Visibility and Sustainability of the BICs International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) c/o IRRI, DAPO Box 7777 Metro Manila, Philippines Dr. Rhodora R. Aldemita Senior Program Officer Global Knowledge Center ISAAA

Biotechnology Information Centers FUNCTIONS respond to specific information needs; promote and advance a broader public understanding of crop biotechnology; and monitor the local agri-biotech environment. Found at the heart of Global Knowledge Center (KC)

BICs – ISAAA’s Eye in the Country Knowledgeable on the overall climate (and key trends) for plant biotech in your country/region New government biosafety regulations and status Biotech research trends: crops, livestock, marine, health Progress in biotech crop research and the ones in the pipeline Status of applications for food, feed, propagation or commercialization Identify key people, organizations whom we can partner Identify important personnel (government or otherwise) as biotech spokesperson

Aware of the major challenges/opportunities for plant biotech in your country/region BICs – ISAAA’s Eye in the Country Movement and strategies of the ‘other’ groups Political/security situation in the country Biotech knowledge gaps across stakeholders and partners Research capacities and needs of research institutions Research gaps in important crops Unstable funding sources Possible activities/strategies to meet the challenges

CURRENT BIC DELIVERABLES I. Minimum Expectations: Mailing List (200/1M the population) CountryNo. of Subscribers Target 200/1M population Brazil49,28438,747 Argentina7,0508,055 India171,441231,069 Thailand140,39313,553 Japan86225,512 Korea1,7909,749 China120,983266,292 Vietnam2,74817,456 Philippines120,58718,397 Indonesia21,80645,993 Bangladesh75,35232,444 Your target for 2011??

CountryNo. of SubscribersTarget 200/1M population Malaysia33,2555,494 Pakistan12,92433,942 Peru5,2925,833 Iran67014,581 Kenya55,1747,960 Egypt33,31216,600 Mali3,6312,602 Burkina Faso1,6313,151 Uganda1,4226,542 Tanzania1,0548,748 Nigeria93130,946 Ghana8484,767 Ethiopia84616,565 Malawi3253,053 Togo211,324

CBU Articles (2 per month) = only few are meeting the target II. Activities for the Year Sensitization, Information and Education - Seminars, Symposium and Workshops to various stakeholders (media, policy makers, farmers, consumers, religious groups, etc) Exhibits III. Other Activities - Resource Speakership - Participation in fora - Visits/tours attended to and organized - Multi-media interviews and exposures - Documents produced or helped produce CURRENT BIC DELIVERABLES

Are these deliverables enough to: 1. Make a change in the country’s biotech status? 2. Reach the target key stakeholder that would effect change 3. Make the BIC visible not only in the biotech circle but also in national and international arena. 4. Initiate steps to sustain the BICs existence in the country BIC Examination

Workplan Formulation Make an evaluation of the biotech status in your country, then make a Country Goal. eg. passing of the biosafety bill, biotech crop commercialization (identify specific crops), approval of field testing, etc. Make a one year set of activities under the II and III of the Quarterly Report that would help reach the Goal Add an additional item on Steps to take for sustainability, eg., partnerships Calendar the Activities and put the budget

Partnership for Sustainability Fact: Unstable and limited funds and need to tap partners for sustainability Choosing the partner in your country Stable fund source and does not rely on donations (e.g. private foundations, university, research institute, seed companies, etc) With similar or parallel goals as ISAAA, e.g. hunger and poverty alleviation in developing countries. Flexible timelines of activities Has credibility and visibility in the biotech arena

How to be Visible in Your Country Organizing biotech-related events that feature renowned biotech scientists, policy makers, etc. Holding pioneering activities eg. MyBio Carnival, etc. Participating in activities on national scale Partnering with nationally-recognized and acknowledged biotech entities Interactions/rubbing elbows with ‘vip’s in business/social occasions Know what is going on in biotechnology in your country and ALWAYS get involved.

Include one or two of the following new initiatives 1.Biotech Week (e.g. My BioCarnival) 2.Innovative Publications (eg. Mandy and Fanny) 3.Basic Biotech Lectures for Selected Stakeholders 4.Regional/International Activity such as Biotech Knowledge-sharing, Science Communication, and others

1. Made a change in the country’s biotech status? 2. Reached the target key stakeholder that would affect change 3. Made the BIC visible not only in the biotech circle but also in national and international arena. 4. Initiated steps to sustain the BICs existence/sustainability in the country Yearly Rating of BICs

Workplan Formulation

Vietnam200/1MTarget for the Year Mailing List (Target) 17,4565,000 CBU article target 24 Minimum Requirements

1.Identify the biotech crop challenges and constraints 2.What is the goal, the yearly mission 3.Enumerate the activities to attain mission and goal, taking into consideration: BIC visibility in the country Sustainability and Partnership 4. Schedule the activities 5. Put corresponding budget Guide Questions