An international workshop, organised by the Fondazione per le Biotechnologie, the University of Turin and FAO, that aims to focus and spread significant results obtained through the application of marker assisted selection, as well as to discuss advantages and drawbacks of molecular marker application to crop and animal breeding, with particular emphasis for the benefits of developing countries. Deadline for registration has been extended to 10 October.

Turin. Italy

mail@fobiotech.org

The symposium considers the application of gene-based technologies in four main areas a) animal genetics, breeding and reproduction b) animal health c) animal nutrition d) environment and food safety. Organised by the Animal Production and Health Section of the FAO/IAEA Joint Division for Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. Those wishing to present a paper should submit a synopsis of not more than 800 words by 10 April 2003.

Vienna. Austria

h.makkar@iaea.org

The symposium, which aims to "assess the state of the art and science of plant breeding and future prospects for this activity", is organised by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and Iowa State University, United States.

Mexico City. Mexico

j.demeyer@cgiar.org

This course (in Spanish) on detection methods for GMOs in the food chain is organised by the United Nations University/Biotechnology for Latin America and The Caribbean (UNU/BIOLAC) programme, created in 1988 by an agreement between the Government of Venezuela and the UNU, and the Instituto de Estudios Avanzados (IDEA), Caracas.

Caracas. Venezuela

juandellacha@hotmail.com

The conference is hosted by the Norwegian Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme and aims to provide input to the discussions at the SBSTTA-9 (the 9th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, scheduled for November 2003) and COP-7 (the 7th meeting of the Conference of the Parties, in 2004). The conference programme covers a wide range of topics associated with capacity building and technology transfer, including capacity development in biotechnology.

Trondheim. Norway

odd.t.sandlund@nina.no

The conference, which includes a plenary session on wheat biotechnology, aims to review the current status of wheat research in the Central Asian region and develop a forum for information exchange and cooperative activities. The organisers include the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) - two of the 16 research centres supported by the CGIAR.

Almaty. Kazakhstan

1cawc@nets.kz

A conference, co-sponsored by FAO, bringing together architects of the green revolution and a number of pioneers of modern plant biotechnology.

Bologna. Italy

avenuemedia@avenuemedia.it

Workshop organised by the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology.

Trieste. Italy

courses@icgeb.org

The symposium aims to "review progress in taro research, analyze needs and priorities, develop a strategy for future work in taro research and development, explore new ways to use genetic diversity and improve taro quality and production, and stimulate international collaboration, information exchange and networking". The symposium themes include the use of novel technologies to improve taro (a staple crop, important in the Pacific and Southeast Asia, West Africa and the Caribbean). Organised by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, FAO and the Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD).

Nadi. Fiji

TaroSym@spc.int

Workshop organised by the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology and the Istituto Agronomico per l`Oltremare.

Florence. Italy

courses@icgeb.org

This international colloquium for the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and its partners is organized by ICRISAT (the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics), CIAT (the International Center for Tropical Agriculture), ILRI (the International Livestock Research Institute) and ISNAR (the International Service for National Agricultural Research) - four of the 16 research centres supported by the CGIAR - and the CGIAR Central Advisory Service on Intellectual Property. The purposes of the colloquium include to "share experiences and lessons from working in alliances that cross-conventional boundaries in order to exploit biotechnology for development" and to "develop an action plan through which the CGIAR can support the emergence of a new architecture for innovation that would help exploit biotechnology for pro-poor development".

Patancheru. India

k.d.prasad@cgiar.org

A training course organised by the European Commission Joint Research Centre and the World Health Organization.

Ispra. Italy

guy.van-den-eede@jrc.it

In response to invitations by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, the Government of Italy is organising a workshop on this subject.

Rome. Italy

secretariat@biodiv.org

This symposium is being held in conjunction with the annual meetings of the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) and the Soil Science Society of America and is co-organised by FAO, the Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project, Michigan State University and the CSSA. The sponsors include the organising institutions, the United States Agency for International Development and the World Bank. The Symposium aims to "provide opportunities for technical and policy experts to explore a global strategy and action plan to harness biotechnology to improve food security and alleviate poverty through multi-stakeholder cooperation".

Indianapolis. United States of America

hoan.le@fao.org

CropLife Asia is organising this conference, in association with a host of organisations, including the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), which "will examine the role that two technologies agricultural biotechnology and information technology- can play in achieving sustainable agricultural development".

Bangkok. Thailand

adpowell@pacific.net.sg

The event is being convened by the Group of 77 "in order to bring together representatives from government, the scientific community, civil society, the business sector and other stakeholder groups to formulate a South-South strategy for the execution of initiatives in the field of science and technology". The conference programme includes a workshop on biotechnology (28 October).

Dubai. United Arab Emirates

g77off@unmail.org

The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) are co-hosting this symposium.

Geneva. Switzerland

upov.mail@wipo.int

This symposium on crop biotechnology is organised bythe REDBIO Argentina National Co-ordination. REDBIO stands for FAO`s Technical Co-operation Network on Plant Biotechnology.

Buenos Aires. Argentina

juan.izquierdo@fao.org

The symposium is sponsored by a range of private and public sector organisations, including the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Beijing. China

biosafe@pku.edu.cn

The European Science Foundation`s Scientific Programme "Assessment of the impacts of genetically modified plants" is organising this meeting in collaboration with, among others, the International Centre of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology.

Rome. Italy

mari@mlib.cnr.it