The 14th Meeting of the Asian Consortium for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Microbial Resources (ACM14), hosted by Bioresource Collection and Research Center, Food Industry Research and Development Institute (BCRC/FIRDI), took place in Taipei, Taiwan, bringing together 38 ACM members representing 15 international organizations from 11 Asian countries, including China, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Microbial experts and researchers from all over Asia are gathering in Taiwan to discuss the trends, developments, regulations and standards in the field of microbial distribution and sustainable use for consecutive three days from December 4 to 6, during which they had exchanged ideas, experience and techniques. The event concluded successfully with impressive results.
BCRC became a participating member of ACM in 2016 and has actively engaged in the ACM affairs and events ever since to consolidate its membership in ACM and deepen friendships with other members, and be the host of 2017 ACM Annual Meeting. Last year BCRC was handed over the ACM official seal, which symbolized responsibility and honor from the previous organizer - Microbial Type Culture Collection and Gene Bank (MTCC), India. With the efforts made by the BCRC colleagues, researchers gathered in Taipei on December, 2017 and had discussions and experience exchanges on biobanking and the sustainable use of microbial resources.
The international Microbial Sustainable Use Conference” on day one (Dec. 4) was open to non-ACM members and attracted over 140 participants from industries, research institutes and universities. Special presentations given by Dr. Ipek Kurtböke, the president of WFCC(World Federation for Culture Collections), Dr. Shung-Chang Jong from ATCC (American Type Culture Collection), Dr. Wen-Hsiung Li and Dr. Chiu-Chung Young from Academia Sinica (Taiwan), and Dr. Chii-Cherng Liao from FIRDI (Taiwan), and Dr. Lily Eurwilaichitr from BIOTEC (Thailand) were the highlights the conference. The following session was focused on preservations and sustainable use of microorganisms, talks given by Dr. Moriyuki Hamada from Biological Resource Center, NITE (NBRC, Japan), Ms. Rie Funabiki (NBRC, Japan), and Dr. Chin-Chu Chen from Grape King Bio Ltd (Taiwan) where issues concerning various aspects of microbial use were discussed in detail. On the second day, the main topic of the discussion was on the current trends and development of international standards in biobanks and bioresource management, including ISO/TC 276, ISO/DIS 20387 and ISO 17025. The agenda was followed by the progress reports of all participating ACM members, a total of 16 institutes from 11 countries and region presented their latest work. On the third day, all the participants took a road trip to BCRC/FIRDI at Hsinchu City where the Taskforce Meeting and General Assembly were held. Two organizations, the Iranian Biological Resource Center (IBRC), Iran, and Microbial Culture Collection (MCC), India were admitted as new ACM members in the General Assembly.
The ACM14 annual meeting concluded with Dr. Gwo-Fang Yuan, Director of BCRC, passing down the ACM official seal to Dr. Enkh-Amgalan Jigjiddorj from Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences (IGEB-MAS), Mongolia, who will host the 15th ACM meeting on 2018. By organizing ACM14, BCRC received highly positive affirmation from all delegates. The President of WFCC, Dr. Ipek Kurtböke commended FIRDI as a great example of setting up a biological resource center. Through this meeting, international experts and microbial researchers had experienced the hospitality, fascinating food, and rich culture of Taiwan. BCRC has successfully promoted the international friendship between various countries and regions of the Asia.
The group photo of ACM members and invited speakers.
The President of World Federation of Culture Collection (WFCC),
Dr. Ipek Kurtböke gave a special lecture on “The World Federation of Culture Collections
from 1947 Onwards Serving for Sustainable Futures”
The Director-General of FIRDI, Dr. Chii-Cherng Liao gave a special lecture on “
Lactic Acid Bacteria: From Culture Collection to Industry Development in Taiwan”.
ACM14 Close ceremony, Dr. Gwo-Fang Yuan, Director of BCRC, passed the ACM official seal to Dr. Enkh-Amgalan Jigjiddorj from Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences (IGEB-MAS), Mongolia