The World Federation for Culture Collections is an international body formed under the umbrella of the International Union of Biological Sciences and a Federation within the International Union of Microbiological Societies. The WFCC operates as a clearing house for information on collections of microbiological specimens. It supports the development, maintenance and establishment of

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these grou ...

collections Collection or Collections may refer to: * Cash collection, the function of an accounts receivable department * Collection (church), money donated by the congregation during a church service * Collection agency, agency to collect cash * Collectio ...

. The WFCC bylaws were published in 1972 in the International Journal of Systematic Biology (Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 22: 406-409, 1972) and updated several times since. One of its main activities is the support of the WFCC-MIRCEN World Data Centre for Microorganisms. There are over 2.4 Million cultures and 676 culture collections under the purview of the WFCC. The WFCC is governed by an executive board and through a series of committees. Members of the executive board include scientists from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Japan, Morocco, The Netherlands, the Russian Federation and the United States.

Global significance

The WFCC is the main international body that coordinates the activities of culture collections around the world. Their activities include lobbying for support for collections, preventing the loss of collections, promoting the use of collections, and coordinating international regulations relating to the shipping and use of biological materials. The WFCC is a Multidisciplinary Commission of the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) and a Federation within the International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS). In 1977 the

WIPO The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO; french: link=no, Organisation mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle (OMPI)) is one of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN). Pursuant to the 1967 Convention Establishin ...

established the

Budapest Treaty The Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure, or Budapest Treaty, is an international treaty signed in Budapest, Hungary, on April 28, 1977. It entered into force on A ...

on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure. There are 42 International Depository Authorities worldwide where microorganisms may be deposited for patent purposes. The WFCC coordinates the International Congress of Culture Collections. The most recent meeting was th
13th International Conference on Culture Collections
and it was held in Beijing, China. It was hosted by the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMCAS). The WFCC communicates via

The WFCC works with the

OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate ...

to promote Best Practice Guidelines for Biological Resource Centers.Biological Resource Centers
/ref> Culture collections are key players in the preservation of micro-

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variability''), species ('' species diversity''), and ecosystem ('' ecosystem diversity' ...

. On October 12, 2014 the

Nagoya Protocol The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity, also known as the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) is a ...

under the

Convention on Biological Diversity The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty. The Convention has three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity); the sustainable use of it ...

entered into force. Members of WFCC are constantly improving their data management and policies to match the principles and rules set in the CBD and NP. These efforts started in 1999 by the publication of th
MOSAICC Code of Conduct
It goes on with th
TRUST initiative
presented during th
1st Meeting of the Parties of the Nagoya Protocol

References

Sources

World Federation for Culture Collections Xth International Congress, Int J Syst Bacteriol, Lapage, 22(4): 404

(Library of Congress)

External links

WFCC

WFCC-MIRCEN World Data Centre for Microorganisms

CABRI

International Congress of Culture Collections

The International Air Transport Association
{{Authority control Microbiology organizations Culture collections

Global significance

See also

References

Sources

External links