Message from the Director

Dear Valued Members

Greetings from Nagoya! This week the parties to the Cartagena Biosafety Protocol adopted a supplementary protocol on liability and redress named “Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. This came after six years of intense negotiation. It must be a relief for public researchers to note that financial security, civil liability and “products thereof” have been dropped from the supplementary protocol.

Back to news at home - the MyBio Carnival was a success in many ways - it made fashion designers, fashion students, law and engineering students, and high school students to read up on biotechnology before they could take part in relevant competitions, namely debates, quiz, spelling and fashion designing. For the first time biotechnology appeared on fashion pages of newspapers. The report on this carnival will be published on the website soon. We are pleased now to bring this competition to the Northern region which will be hosted by the National Science Centre, Gunung Keriang. We expect participation from Kedah, Penang, Perlis and Perak.

We are also busy with the upcoming International Workshop for Islamic Scholars: Agribiotechnology: Compliance with the Shariah Principles. This will be held in Georgetown, Penang from 1-2 Dec and attended by scientists and Islamic scholars from various countries.

I also take this opportunity to share a piece of good news. After years of promoting public understanding of biotechnology, I am pleased to receive the TWAS Regional Prize 2010 for Public Understanding of Science for the East & Southeast Asia and Pacific region. This is indeed an honour and motivation to do more in future.

In this issue, a fashion lecturer is sharing her thoughts on biotechnology and her experience being involved in MyBio Carnival.

We are also publishing the press release on COP-MOP5 of the Public Research and Regulation Initiative (PRRI).

I would like to take this opportunity to wish Happy Deepavali to all Hindu members.

Sincerely

Mahaletchumy Arujanan
Executive Director

Sustainable development of our natural food resources remains a challenge. The theme “Sustainable Aquaculture and Management of Aquatic Resources” is chosen to highlight the need to address the issue. So what are you waiting for? Come and join the seminar for a stimulating discussion on all aspects of aquaculture.

For more information, please click here.

1.Creativity & Techniques in Biotechnology Products Production
Date: 20 Oct. 2010

2.The Need for Laboratory Tests, Labelling & Marketing of Food Products
Date: 27 Oct. 2010

Venue:Training Room, KBioCOrp, Ground Floor, Techno Center, Kulim Hi-Tech Park, Kulim, Kedah.

Fee: RM 50 per participant (limited seats)

For more info, please contact Ahmad Shahril: 012-2046208
shahril@kbiocorp.com.my