Legislative aspect: Implications for Scientific Research in Colombia

The Proposal

In the frame of the synthetic biology competition International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM), Colombia’s Team from the Universidad de los Andes, as human practice activity, proposed to develop a high level forum with the goal to create spaces where opinions and ideas are exposed in order to promote discussion and contribute to the continuous search of solutions to the problematic related with scientific investigation within the legal frame in Colombia. The problematic consists in several inconvenients to obtain contracts that grant legal access to Genetic Resources and biological collections in our country and the long time waiting to obtain research and collect permits in order to investigate our own biodiversity.

The objectives

To discuss between the Colombian government and the scientific community, a factible and articulate proposal to resolve an important problematic in Colombia, concerning the rigorous process to obtain research and collect permits, contracts granting access to genetic resources and biological collections.

• To meet the governmental and no governmental figures and discuss about their position at this topic and proposals.

• To encourage the discussion between several figures involved in the scientific and legal frame in order to expose different points of view

• To obtain a generalized new proposal with the approbation of all parts.

Forum Research in Colombia: Obtaining Research Permits, Contracts for Access to Genetic Resources and Biological Collections

The preparations

For the event organization we contacted to Gonzalo Andrade from Universidad Nacional de Colombia, an expert about the topic, he was our assesor.

´ The Date event: September 3 of 2012, from 8:30am to 1:00pm. Registry since 7:30am.(4.5h) The Place : Universidad de los Andes. Building Mario Laserna Auditorium ML-A (Mayor) and Building Alberto Lleras Camargo Auditorium LL

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The Guests

We had 61 guests as special guests belonging to scientific community and to governmental institutions. We used several media for to guarantee the all institutions representation. We sent invitation letters and comments by Twitter, also electronic confirmations (by the forum email investigacionencolombia2012@gmail.com) and by phone. In adiction to this the forum was a open access event so we had general invitations for the general public interested in the topic. We had a total of 400 seats.

Invitations

We sent 61 special invitation letters

We sent message to Minister by Twitter

Adicionally, we spread the event in social networks and by email to interested people groups

In other departaments of our University and in others universities with flyers and posters



And We put the event in the events site of Universidad de los Andes where all the participants should be registered

September 3 of 2012, 6:00am: Early the day of the event

All the team arrived early to complete details of the event

Event Development

And the moment arrived...

Check up our File:Forum Schedule.pdf

While the event was developed people that were not present were informed through Twitter about the main ideas discussed. For more information follow us on Twitter @colombia_igem

People that was not present could follow the even throgh live streaming, check it out!

Live streaming http://www.ustream.tv/channel/11962459

Results

Comments on Twitter

Conclusions

Is necessary to include the scientific ambit into the Colombian politics, taking in account their ideas in the decisions making. In this way, it would be possible to change the actual legislation for become it more efficient and making easier the access to genetic and biodiversity resources, the changes in legislation are going to promote the knowledge generation and scientific research.

The forum created a necessary bridge between the researchers and the government. Thanks to this, some agreements and proposals were made:

- Is necessary to generate agreements and formal links between scientists and the government. With this aim, the scientific community proposed to create a scientific commission that would evaluate the projects proposals for giving the access permissions. Furthermore, the investigation with academic aims should be promoted giving free access to genetic and biodiversity resources with the condition and obligation of make the publication of results in a scientific magazine.

- The scientific community made the compromise of getting all the specifics proposals together and unifying ideas from previous scientific negotiation tables, in order to send a formal propose document to the government and in this way, this proposals can be include or taken in account in the changes that are being made at this moment.