TRIESTE: AT THE CROSSROAD BETWEEN NORTHSOUTH AND EAST-WEST AXIS
HISTORY OF THE “TRIESTE SYSTEM”
Organizations
UN UN
Organizations
ICTP
ICTP
ICS
ICS
Science for
TWAS
TWAS
SDTTrieste
TWAS
TWAS
A. Salam
A.
Salam
ICGEB
ICS
A. Falaschi
A. Salam
1978
1964
1964
ISAS
P. Budinich
P. Budinich
ICS
A. Salam
SDT
1988
1988
1983
1983
ISAS
SDT
ICGEB
A. Falaschi
ICGEB
ICGEB
ICTP
ICTP
Salam
A. A.
Salam
Budinich
P. P.
Budinich
Science
for
Development
Development - Trieste
1987
1987
1988
1988
Elettra
C. Rubbia
Elettra
C. Rubbia
2004
-
The ICGEB mandate
To provide a Centre of excellence
for research and training in genetic
engineering and biotechnology
addressed to developing countries
and economies in transition
The ICGEB structure
ICGEB is one Centre, made of two
Components and a network of
Affiliated Centres
ICGEB
Trieste Component
(Italy)
New Delhi Component
(India)
ICGEB: an intergovernmental organization
71 Signatory States, 52 Member States, 2 Components: Trieste (Italy) New Delhi (India) and a network of 37 Affiliated Centres
ICGEB: Instruments of action
z
Advanced research projects in the Trieste and
New Delhi Laboratories
z
Long-term post-doctoral fellowships
z
Short-term fellowships
z
Ph.D. Program
z
Organization of meetings, courses and
workshops
z
Collaborative Research Granting Program
z
Collaboration with industrial sector
z
Scientific services to member Countries
z
Technology transfer
International Centre for Genetic
Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB)
Trieste Component
15 research groups, ~200 scientists
Research programs in several
advanced areas of bio-medicine,
including:
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
Virology (HIV, papillomavirus, rotavirus)
Human and mouse molecular genetics
Molecular immunology
Gene therapy
Stem cell research
Recombinant biopharmaceuticals
Cardiovascular disorders
Cancer
Advanced facilities for
Molecular Medicine,
including:
z
z
z
z
z
Facilities for in vivo experimentation
BL3 safety laboratories
Viral vector production facility
Advanced optical microscopy facility
Proteomics facility
http://www.icgeb.org
New Delhi Research
~200 scientists
Mammalian Biology
Virology (HIV-1, hepatitis virus B and E)
Immunology (antibody response, M. tuberculosis)
Malaria (vaccine, host-parasite interaction, novel drugs)
Structural and Computational Biology
Recombinant Gene Products (diagnostic kits for hepatitis,
recombinant proteins for therapy)
New Delhi Research
Plant Biology
Plant Transformation
Plant Molecular Biology (gene expression in plants)
Insect Resistance (new insecticidal proteins from insects
and bacteria)
Plant Resistance (genomic selection of insect-resistance
genes)
Biosafety Outstation
Ca'Tron (Treviso, Italy)
COLLABORATION WITH THE
INDUSTRIAL SECTOR
• PATENTS: A WAY TO PROVIDE
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY TO
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, COMPETITIVE
WORLDWIDE
• BIOPHARMACEUTICAL GENERICS: AN
EXPANDING MARKET ACCESSIBLE
THROUGH INNOVATIVE METHODOLOGIES
ICGEB: activity 1988-2004
Publications in peerreviewed international >1200
journals
487 awarded
Long-term fellowships
>800 man/year
Short-term training
>5000 persons trained
255 awarded
Research grants
For a total of USD >13,360,000
30 filed
Patents
Technology Transfer
65 signed
Agreements
INSTITUTIONAL ACTIVITIES
COOPERATION AGREEMENT WITH THE
UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT. UN AND
ICGEB COOPERATE IN ACTIVITIES RELATED
TO
•
SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF GENETIC
ENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
•
PROTECTION OF BIODIVERSITY
•
BIOSAFETY AND RISK ASSESSMENT
•
IMPLEMENTATION OF ARTICLE X OF THE
CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DISARMAMENT
A NOVEL UN
INITIATIVE
ESTABLISHEMENT OF A
“NETWORK OF CENTRES
OF EXCELLENCE”
IN NEW AND EMERGING
TECHNOLOGIES IN
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
CONTEXT:
MEETING THE
DEVELOPMENT GOALS OF
THE UNITED NATIONS
MILLENNIUM
DECLARATION OF 2000
THE COMMISSION ON
SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY FOR
DEVELOPMENT (CSTD)
AND THE UNITED
NATIONS MILLENNIUM
PROJECT TASK FORCE 10
ON SCIENCE,
TECHNOLOGY AND
INNOVATION
HAVE STRESSED THAT:
“SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY ARE
CENTRAL TO
FACILITATING THE
ACHIEVEMENT OF ALL
MDGs,
CONCERNING
POVERTY, DISEASES,
POPULATION GROWTH,
URBANISATION AND
WOMEN RIGHTS”
THE CSTD
INVITES THE UNITED
NATIONS CONFERENCE
ON TRADE AND
TECHNOLOGY (UNCTAD)
TO FACILITATE THE
ESTABLISHEMENT OF A
“NETWORK OF CENTRES
OF EXCELLENCE” IN
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
STEERING COMMITTEE OF THE NETWORK OF
CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE PROJECT
Pedro S. Teta, Chair CSTD
Atta-ur-Rahman, Federal Minister and Chairman
of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan,
Pakistan, CSTD member
Arturo Falaschi, CSTD member
Jeongbin Yim, Seoul National University
Jorge Allende, Universidad de Chile, Santiago
Khalil Hamdani, UNCTAD
Mongi Hamdi, UNCTAD
INITIAL FUNDING: GOVERNMENT OF
ITALY US$ 500.000
SCIENTIFIC AREAS: BIOTECHNOLOGY
AND ICT
INITIAL ACTIVITIES: WORKSHOPS,
COURSES (1-3 WEEKS); TRAINING (3-12
MONTHS)
10 CENTRES TO BE IDENTIFIED; FIRST 3
CENTRES: 1) HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry,
University of Karachi (Pakistan); 2) International Centre
for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology - New Delhi
(India); 3) Virtual International Molecular Biology
Laboratory (eIMBL)/KAIST (Republic of Korea)
Arturo Falaschi
Distinguished Scientist
International Centre for Genetic Engineering
and Biotechnology - Trieste
Professor of Molecular Biology
Scuola Normale Superiore - Pisa
THE BEGINNING
• 1983: The Statutes of the Centre are signed in
Madrid
• 1984: The site is decided: one Centre made of
two Components (Trieste and New Delhi) and
a network of Affiliated Centres
• 1987: Pending the entry into force of the
Statutes, the Centre Starts operating as a
special project of UNIDO.
• 1995: The Statutes entry into force; the ICGEB
becomes an autonomous intergovernmental
organisation.
1987-1995
a UNIDO
special
project
1995-today
An independent
international
organization
International Centre for Genetic
Engineering and Biotechnology
(ICGEB), Trieste
Trieste
Adriatic sea
Fellowships 1998-2004
(total awarded: 487)
50
43
39
40
35
30
20
25
27
37
35 36
33
30 30
26
28
21 22
20
10
0
1989 1991
1993 1995 1997
1999 2001 2003
EUROPE
46%
AFRIC
A
ASI
A
LATIN
AMERIC
A
AFGHANISTAN 1
ALGERIA 2
ARGENTINA
BANGLADESH
6
BOLIVIA 1
BRAZIL
7
BULGARIA
CHILE
CHINA
4
COLOMBIA
COSTA RICA 1
CROATIA
9
CUBA
EGYPT
GEORGIA 3
GREECE 4
HUNGARY
INDIA
IRAN 2
3
IRAQ
ITALY
JORDAN 1
MACEDONIA 4
MAURITIUS 1
5
MEXICO
MOROCCO 2
9
NIGERIA
NON-MEMBER 1
PAKISTAN 4
PERU 2
PHILIPPINES 1
6
POLAND
4
ROMANIA
RUSSIA
SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO 8
3
SLOVAKIA
SLOVENIA 2
7
SRI LANKA
SUDAN 3
TANZANIA 2
THAILAND 1
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO 1
TUNISIA 1
TURKEY
5
VENEZUELA
VIET NAM
YUGOSLAVIA
0
10
24
18
14
45
46
14
18
30
60
48
15
15
24
20
30
40
50
60
70
Grants awarded for scientific research
1988-2004
(total awarded: 255)
Subject area
Geographical distribution
AFRIC
A
Healthcare
20%
Industry &
Environment
13%
LATIN
AMERIC
A
EUROPE
36%
Basic
Science
48%
Plant Science
& Agriculture
19%
ASI
A
Meetings & Courses 1998-2004
AFRIC
A
900
800
700
EUROPE
29%
LATIN
AMERIC
A
ASI
A
Applications received to organize Meetings or
Courses at ICGEB Trieste, New Delhi or at
Affiliated Centers (total 294)
839
638
600
500
400
300
508504
347361367360349
200 133169
100
0
223
406
259277279
1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
Number of participants/year (total 6019)
AFRIC
A
EUROPE
37%
AFRIC
A
LATIN
AMERIC
A
EUROPE
14%
LATIN
AMERIC
A
ASI
A
Meetings or Courses supported at
Affiliated Centers (total 88)
ASI
A
Geographic distribution of
participants