Raquel Hurtado-Ortiz, head of the National Collection of Microorganism Cultures (CNCM), delivered a speech on behalf of the director of the CRBIP, Fay Betsou, at the opening ceremony, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and the organization of biobank and collection networks to strengthen their activities, facilitate access to their biological materials, and improve their operations. She also presented the CNCM and moderated a session dedicated to intellectual property, technology transfer, and the financing and partnership mechanisms necessary for the development of a sustainable bioeconomy.

Meriem Paris, head of the Collection of the Institut Pasteur (CIP), presented the CIP and moderated a session dedicated to modern tools for characterizing and utilizing microbial genetic resources, including advances in biotechnology, genomics, and bioinformatics.

During this conference, participants had the opportunity to explore a broad overview of microorganism collections and biological resource centers in Europe and Africa. They also delved into key themes such as innovation-oriented scientific valorization, the strategic role of intellectual property in protecting inventions, mechanisms for building networks and sustainable partnerships, regulatory frameworks relating to access to biological materials, and modern tools enabling better valorization of microbial genetic resources.