1. WP2: Improvement of access to marine organisms from Biological Resource Centres
WP leader & task 2.3: Adelino Canario (CCMAR)
Task 2.1 leader: Nicolas Pade (MBA)
Task 2.2 leader: Jörg Overmann (DSMZ)
Other beneficiaries: UPMC, SAMS, INRA, CABI, UGENT, TAU, HCMR
EMBRIC mid-term review Brussels, May 4th, 2017

2. Presentation outline WP objectives WP Tasks:
Task 1 - Mapping of data resources related to marine biological resources
Task 2 - Improve and standardize methods for culturing, quality control and shipment of live organisms
Task 3 - To harmonize procedures for access to biological resources
Exploitation of results
Networking activities

3. WP2 Objectives
Partners involved: CCMAR, UPMC, SAMS, MBA, INRA, CABI, UGENT, TAU, DSMZ, HCMR
Access Organisms from Biological Resources Centres WHAT – WHERE – HOW – WHEN – (FROM/TO) WHOM ?
Objectives of WP2: To facilitate the use of marine biological resources in applied research and development through:
Improvement of access to information on EMBRIC biological resources;
Harmonization of procedures between Biological Resource Centres (BRCs) thereby improving the quality of services offered;
Ensuring that information on access and benefit-sharing (ABS) is clearly presented to potential users.

4. Task 2.1: Mapping of data resources related to marine biological resources
Partners involved: MBA, UPMC, CCMAR, SAMS, MBA, UGENT, TAU, DSMZ, HCMR
Objectives and results:
To create a “virtual screening platform”:
workflow that links existing data resources and providing an on- line platform to search the linked information
Enable researchers to search for organisms according to specific traits, e.g. metabolites, culture conditions, environmental metadata “Show me all strains likely to produce pigment A which grow well at 15°C”
The platform will link strains to a variety of international databases (WP4) containing Chemical data, Taxonomic registers, Genetic Resources; Phylogenetic Resources; Genetic Biodiversity information; Biogeographic information systems; Image resources; Literature
Attempt to collect written information did not work very well.
ACTION: Setup googledoc; contact with experts in specific groups to make lists; Meeting of BRC representatives back to back to WKSHP 2.2

5. Task 2.1: Mapping of data resources related to marine biological resources
Status:
1) “BacDive” a database providing organism-linked information covering the multifarious aspects of bacterial biodiversity - offers taxonomic classification, morphology, physiology, cultivation, origin and natural habitat for more than 50,000 bacterial and archeal strains (DMSZ)
2) Programmatic interface - queries databases and returns desired information (mapped dataset) (EBI/Elixir)
Microalgae collections
Identify and describe use cases (Nov 2017)
Workshop Cambridge between technical people that produce programmatic interface and use case leaders (Jan 2018)
Interesting outputs will be tested in the lab and serve as demonstration, e.g. publication/patent
Attempt to collect written information did not work very well.
ACTION: Setup googledoc; contact with experts in specific groups to make lists; Meeting of BRC representatives back to back to WKSHP 2.2

6. Integration of programmatic web interface into BRC websites
Task 2.1: Mapping of data resources related to marine biological resources
Attempt to collect written information did not work very well.
ACTION: Setup googledoc; contact with experts in specific groups to make lists; Meeting of BRC representatives back to back to WKSHP 2.2
Deliverable:
D 2.3
Integration of programmatic web interface into BRC websites
Month 45
M M45

7. Task 2.2: Improve and standardize methods for culturing, quality control and shipment of live organisms
Partners involved: DSMZ, MBA, CCMAR, SAMS, UPMC, INRA, CABI, UGENT
Objectives and results:
1) Mapping of culturing trends, techniques and technologies and 2) bottlenecks / gaps in services focusing on different aspects of culturing and culture collections of (marine) organisms:
Workshops:
(1) “The future of microbial cultivation: new access to novel molecules” (DSMZ) – Berlin, July 5-6, 2016;
Key outcomes: 1) Develop database of conditions and ecological implications of metabolites produced by microorganisms, 2) use of new generation sequencing to discover new molecules, 3) Cultivation of new organisms using ecological methods and extreme conditions; 4) Seek funding for upscaling biomolecule production

8. Task 2.2: Improve and standardize methods for culturing, quality control and shipment of live organisms
Workshops:
(2) Long-term preservation of organisms and reproductive technologies (SAMS) Plymouth, 29th-30th November 2016; Participants (25): SAMS, MBA, CCMAR, UPMC, UGENT and external (Inst Pasteur, Univ Sterling, Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V., )
Key outcomes:
1) Future model organisms should be selected based on their biotechnological potential/ relevance
2) Encourage transfer of knowledge and skills from experts working on other biological materials to those working on marine resources
3) (Industrial) cultivation linked to local solutions to prevent invasive species (unlike in agriculture).

9. Task 2.2: Improve and standardize methods for culturing, quality control and shipment of live organisms
Workshops:
(3) Containment of genetic resources (MBA) – Plymouth, 29th-30th November 2016;
Participants: MBA, CCMAR, UGENT, UPMC and external (Inst Pasteur, Univ Sterling, Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V., )
Key outcomes: 1) Definition of what constitute genetic resources in the context of Ris, e.g., rules and regulations of genetically modified organisms for research fall under the same as GMO food/crop?
2) How can the IP of the scientists who have developed genetically modified organisms for research be protected?
3) Current legislation regarding marine microbes is predominantly related to pathogens to humans. What about environmental risk?

10. Task 2.2: Improve and standardize methods for culturing, quality control and shipment of live organisms
Workshops:
(4) Shipment and traceability of living organisms (CCMAR) – Olhão, 4-5th May 2016;
Participants (18): CCMAR, SAMS, CABI, UPMC, organism (micro and macro) providers, customs authorities, DHL, Digital Object Identifier Foundation, ISO, Companies specializing on transport and delivery of marine organisms
Key outcomes: 1) Tracking and dealing with customer complaints; 2) possibly adopt IATA rules for standardization (training required); 3) a packaging standard based on IATA regulations; 4) procedures for compliance with ABS legislation,

11. Task 2.2: Improve and standardize methods for culturing, quality control and shipment of live organisms
Status:
1) Deliverable 2.2 submitted
2) In the process of outlining potential papers about best practices/bottlenecks in providing organisms
- Bottlenecks and prospects of microorganism cultures (DMSZ)
Awareness of cryoperserved resources – biobanks (SAMS)
Shipping macrorganisms
3) Concepts for the future of Biological Resource Centres (Collections)

12. Future roles of the Biological Resource Centers
Best practice
Future roles of the Biological Resource Centers
Role as experts
Role in Research
Facilitate the cultivation
of novel types of microorganisms
Expert knowledge in cultivation
Development of new and innovative
cultivation techniques
BRCs
Promote the discovery, maintenance
and safeguarding
of the corresponding biomolecules
Support screening efforts providing strain collectives and associated information
Role in preservation
Key strain concept

13. Task 2.2: Improve and standardize methods for culturing, quality control and shipment of live organisms
Deliverables:
D 2.2
Best practice methods for Biological Resource Centres
Month 24, May 2017
Workshops:
Shipment and Traceability of Living Organisms: the need for a common strategy to facilitate the use of marine biological resources
CCMAR
Month 12
The future of microbial cultivation: new access to novel molecules
DMSZ
Month 14
Genetic resources and containment
MBA
Month 18
Long-term preservation of organisms and reproductive technologies
SAMS
Cultivation of macroorganisms and ethical issues
UPMC
Month 28?
M M24

14. Task 2.3: To harmonize procedures for access to biological resources
Partners involved: CCMAR, SAMS, UPMC, MBA, DSMZ
Objectives and results:
1) Evaluate the Terms and Conditions and Material Transfer Agreements used by BRCs in light of standards and guidelines presented by organizations such as the World Federation of Culture Collections (WFCC), the European Culture Collections Organisation (ECCO), Common Access to Biological Resources and Information (CABRI) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
2) Develop a ‘passport’ for all organisms and cultures shipped from EMBRIC for applied research. The passport will contain information on (a) collection and culturing conditions; (b) degree of legal compliance with the ABS legislation (MBA).
Status
1) Delivered best practices procedures for harmonized access based on several international standards and guidelines (D2.1)
2) Workshop to map the current legal frameworks for biological resource provision and defining the passport information system (spring)

15. Task 2.3: To harmonize procedures for access to biological resources
Partners involved: CCMAR, SAMS, UPMC, CBS, MBA, DSMZ
Objectives and results:
3) Develop a unique code system for tracking the use of organisms and strains provided by EMBRIC BRCs in order to (i) provide a means to assess the impact of the provision of biological resources from the publically-funded RIs in the cluster, and (ii) provide feedback of information into the linked EMBRIC databases.
Status
1) Decisions on unique code will be taken at a workshop in spring (with Assemble plus)

16. Task 2.3: To harmonize procedures for access to biological resources
Deliverables:
D 2.1
Best practice procedures for harmonized access
Month 24 May 2017
M M45

17. Exploitation of results
Publications on standards and harmonization of procedures (being oulined);
Highlight key bottlenecks for providing or making available the biological resources required for science and biotechnology
Promote use biological resources throughout academia, industry (WP1, WP9)
Apply outcomes throughout the cluster

18. Networking activities
Workshops in WP2.2 brought together stakeholders from different areas, from culture collections and biotechnology, transport carriers, government departments (customs), private providers of (macro)organisms, standards organizations
Interaction with WP4 on programatic interface and unique identifier