Project Title: "Establishment of Regional Training and Resource Centre in Biosafety, Biosecurity and Laboratory Management in the South Caucasus", EU / UNICRI, Project B1; Project Duration: 15.08.2013 - 15.08.2015.

Project Summary

a).Project  Objective: The Project aims to raise awareness of regional medical and veterinary experts , to establish common approaches of safe and secure (BS&S) environment in direction of laboratory activities, to develop cooperation among regional scientifis organisations, researchers and scholars through joint scientific research and to strengthen cooperation and integration in the international scientific community in order to promote risk management and to reduce biological threats in  the Southern Caucasus countries (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey).

b) Project Implementation: In order to fulfil project purpose, the regional training, resource and laboratory management center (TRC) will be established on the basis of the NCDC/Lugar Center. Biosafety and biosecurity (BS&S) situation in Georgia and the South Caucasus region will be studied and analyzed in order to evaluate the state of BS&S. Gap analysis would make it possible to develop a new training program for laboratory personnel, aiming to increase their knowledge in BS&S. NCDC / Lugar Center with its unique capabilities (BSL2 and BSL3 laboratories, high-qualified biosafety officers) presents the best educational and training base for the region.  The training and resource center will offer the training curricula to the specialists working on biological material to improve BS&S skills with familiarization of good laboratory practices. The candidates (laboratory specialists) from all four countries will become trainers after visiting European best laboratories in order to study and practice biosafety European standards and share their knowledge to peer-colleagues on the ground. On the Basis of NCDC/Lugar Center, the new training and resource center will be established, which will apply the existing potential and resources, elaborate the new standard operating procedures (SOPs), good lab practice, biosafety and biosecurity principles and modern teaching approaches.

c) Expected results:•  establishment of biosafety experts for the regional countries;

• Development of collaborative relations within the regional countries, and implementation of joint projects;

•  Development of Scientific-research collaboration with  Europe's leading institutes and universities with the aim to establish research cooperation activities;

• Strengthening NCDC / Lugar Center’s capacity by means of establishing training resource center in BS& S