Background
Following a decision at its mid-term meeting in May 1997, the CGIAR appointed two expert panels to advise on the way forward in biotechnology, one focusing on general issues and the other on legal aspects. The two panels were designed to work in liaison, three members being common to both panels. Accordingly, while fully recognizing the importance of proprietary and legal issues for the CGIAR System, the Panel on General Issues has not included them in this report.
Introduction
The CGIAR mission statement emphasizes the alleviation of poverty and the protection of natural resources for sustainable food security. Within these broad aims, the CGIAR makes its contributions largely, but not exclusively, through improved technology that increases productivity while conserving biodiversity, land and water. It is dependent for its success on close collaboration with national research systems in the developing countries.
The CGIAR Centres have progressively invested in biotechnology and applied its tools to their work in areas such as germplasm improvement. However, recent developments, especially rapid advances in the molecular characterization of genes, have given new impetus to the case for expanding CGIAR investment in selected biotechnological approaches (Section 1.1).
It is against this background that the Panel has prepared its report and recommendations.
Biotechnology and the CGIAR Mission
The term "biotechnology" is commonly used in a very broad and general way to mean the application of biological discoveries to the development of new products. Concerns about some aspects, however, make it essential for assessments to be made, and strategies defined, in relation to specific applications. The Panel considers that the CGIAR System should avoid using the term "biotechnology" when the aspect in question can be described with greater precision using other terms (Section 2.1.).
Many aspects of biotechnology that are important for the CGIAR mission are based on the identification, construction and deployment of genes. The pace and scale of gene discovery, characterization and manipulation have been greatly increased in recent years, leading to significant decreases in the cost of the operations involved. All phases of genome research are interconnected by sophisticated bioinformatics and database capabilities. As a result, the future holds the promise of new approaches to germplasm conservation, analysis and improvement that combine information on hundreds of thousands of genes with a broadly applicable transformation strategy. It is reasonable to infer that any organization committed to these tasks must exploit the new opportunities to be efficient, competitive and viable in the future. It is this vision that the Panel wishes to commend to the CGIAR (Section 2.2).
Nonetheless, the Panel re-emphasizes the view, frequently expressed by others, that retaining a balanced approach within the total CGIAR research portfolio will be an essential prerequisite for further progress. Any expansion of biotechnology by the Centres will be an evolutionary process that will proceed at different rates, depending on the organism, the nature of the problems and the available infra-structure (Section 2.3).
The CGIAR currently allocates more than 20% of its resources to germplasm improvement and conservation and has agreed that this proportion will be somewhat increased in future. The links between germplasm improvement and the broader CGIAR mission have been firmly established. Consequently, the Panel has seen its primary role as assessing the current and future application of molecular genetics to those aspects of CGIAR work that relate to germplasm improvement. In doing so, however, the Panel does not discount the value of biotechnology to other areas of research relevant to the CGIAR mission (Section 2.4).
Future Strategy
A new strategy is required to harness the skills of public and private sector research capacity on a global basis, to contribute to the CGIAR mission. The Panel considers it unrealistic to suppose that the Centres could undertake, by themselves, the desired research on the scale required to meet the future needs of their work (Section 3.1).
In the Panel's view, the CGIAR should regard the Centres as major foci for molecular biological information pertaining to the key crops, pests, pathogens and livestock that are important for the poor. The Centres are likely to remain appropriate places to assay and improve germplasm for the properties required to serve their clients and to assist in identifying the genes associated with particular traits. They should therefore build partnerships and networks with key laboratories and databases to ensure that the new knowledge is generated and applied. Nonetheless, biotechnology should always be seen as a means of facilitating problem-solving research, rather than as a force affecting its direction (Section 3.1).
It will also remain essential to take into account concerns about the potential risks associated with the release of transgenic organisms. The Panel recommends that the CGIAR establishes a policy framework on biosafety and gene deployment such that mechanisms are always in place to ensure that the benefits and risks associated with the release of transgenic organisms are assessed and that the regional and national regulations and priorities are fully observed (Section 3.2.1).
Regarding new approaches, the Panel recommends that the CGIAR should develop a new strategy that would include three different, but interrelated, types of activity. One would be designed to position the CGIAR System alongside others committed to a greater understanding of germplasm. Another would foster the evolution of international networks for biotechnological research on problems directly associated with the CGIAR mission, while a third would be internal and designed to ensure that Centres have the capacity to apply the increasing pool of knowledge to meet the needs of their client countries (Section 3.2.1).
Implementation
The Panel recommends that the CGIAR should be instrumental in bringing about a "Genome Summit" involving representatives of multinational companies, major funding agencies, charitable institutions and other organizations, at the highest level. The forum created would bring together existing genome initiatives, stimulate collaboration, raise the profile of the CGIAR mission and bring more information into the public domain (Section 3..2.2).
The Panel also recommends an expanded networking approach to biotechnological research for development in agriculture, fisheries and forestry, in which the Centres would participate together with public and private sector organizations throughout the world. Such an initiative would require, as a minimum, a new fund, a broadly based steering committee and a secretariat. The basic philosophy would be to harness and augment the resources already being applied to biotechnology in these areas through collaborative and networking approaches. Expert groups would be established to award grants and fellowships on a competitive basis and reinforce the Centres' own activities in building networks (Section 3.2.3).
The Panel recommends that the Centres review their in-house expertise in relation to the proposed new strategy. Each Centre would need to review its expertise in genomics and bioinformatics, as well as its capacity for assessing, more widely, the potential contributions of biotechnology to its research programmes. Strategies for the greater use of biotechnological approaches should give appropriate weight to in-house contributions as well as to external, collaborative and contractual approaches. Senior staff skills in business management and related matters might need strengthening and similar skills would be desirable at board level. Centres would also need to review their advisory and training roles in biotechnology and related matters and build their capacities accordingly (Section 3.2.4).
The Panel considers that procedures for evaluating the potential role of transgenics in any new product, and for assessing the associated benefits and risks, should be conducted within an agreed CGIAR policy framework, on a case-by-case basis. Such procedures should take into account the findings of relevant research, including that at the farmer level, and should recognize the views of the client countries (Section 3.2.4).
The Panel recommends that each Centre should have an independent committee exercising a "duty of care" to make sure that, for each product, benefits and risks are assessed, clients consulted and regulatory procedures strictly adhered to (Section 3.2.4).
In the Panel's view, biotechnology should not be treated separately for purposes of planning, funding or assessment, either by the Centres or by TAC, but should be fully integrated into the broader programmes to which it relates (Section 3.2.5).
To assist the Centres to expand their work in biotechnology, the Panel recommends the creation of a central CGIAR Biotechnology Service Unit capable of giving professional advice to the Centres on the proprietary, biosafety and gene deployment considerations of their project proposals. It could also help the Centres in their negotiations with potential collaborators (Section 3.2.5).
Conclusion
The Panel concludes that there are widespread opportunities for the greater involvement of the world scientific community to assist in the application of biotechnology to the needs of developing countries. The CGIAR is in a strong position to act as a catalyst to foster these contributions, while progressively strengthening its own role as a significant user of biotechnology to further the aims of its mission (Section 4).
