On December 17 and 18, “2020 International Workshop on Biosafety Laboratory Management and Techniques” was held in Wuhan successfully. Nearly 200 participants from 18 countries, including China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Brazil, Hungary, Bulgaria, Nigeria, Egypt and Mauritius, participated in the workshop in either on-line or off-line manners.
Prof. Guan Wuxiang, the Deputy Director General of Wuhan Institute of Virology, CAS, gave a speech to extend greetings and a warm welcome to all the guests and trainees who participated in the workshop. Mrs. Lv Xiaodong, the Deputy Division Director of the Non-Proliferation Division under the Department of Arms Control of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Dr. Song Linliang, the Director of Quality Control Division of Jinan University Laboratory Animal Center, Prof. René Courcol, the quality control system expert of France's BSL, and Prof. Yuan Zhiming from Wuhan Institute of Virology, and other senior biosafety experts were invited to give instructions to the participants. The courses in the workshop included the introduction of biosafety and biosafety laboratories, the management system of biosafety laboratories, biologists’ code of conducts, the virus resource culture collection, transportation and management, biorisk assessment, the key facilities and equipment of biosafety laboratories, personal protection equipment, biosafety operation regulations as well as the operation regulations and practice of animal experiments.
Through the workshop, the participants from different countries knew more about China’s experience in biosafety management and learned the key contents of biosafety risk management and the knowledge about laboratory biosafety. Many of them considered the workshop helpful for their practical work, expected further bilateral research collaboration and better international biosafety management, and called for international cooperation in prevention and control the infectious diseases with major risks.
As an important part for fulfilling China’s international commitment in biosafety, the International Workshop on Biosafety Laboratory Management and Techniques have been held successfully for four times, with the purpose of training medium-senior technical and management personnel in prevention and control of infectious diseases for BRI participating countries and laying foundation for the multilateral and bilateral international exchanges between China and BRI participating countries’ science and technology organizations.
This workshop was supported by China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) Program of International Collaboration Platform for Science and Technology Organizations in Belt and Road Countries. It was hosted by Wuhan Institute of Virology and implemented by International Training Center on Biosafety Laboratory Management and Techniques, Hubei Society for Microbiology and Wuhan Society for Microbiology.

Prof. Guan Wuxiang delivered a welcome speech

The training experts

The onsite workshop