Dear Colleagues,
We are delighted that the European Biotechnology Congress 2020, which brought scientists from all fields of biotechnology together, was held in Prague with wide participation on September 24-26. Unfortunately, unlike all previous years, this time our congress had to be organised with hybrid participation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with which we are struggling around the world. So, these circumstances prevented us from getting together in person. Even though most of us were not able to attend the congress on site, we should state that it is genuinely invaluable how we could deeply feel the warm atmosphere and scientific spirit of the congress, thanks to our organisers and hosts from the Czech Republic team. Therefore, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to Professor Ivana Marova and her team, for having courteously offered all help and hospitality to bring this meeting to life. Likewise, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to the Rectorate of Brno University of Technology and the Rectorate of Prague Chemistry and Technology University for their valuable efforts in organising this congress.
We would also like to commemorate two very valuable scientists from the EBTNA family who we lost in recent years; Prof. Mariapia Viola-Magni, the founder of EBTNA, and Prof. Kevan M.A. Gartland, who was the Vice-President of EBTNA. The EBTNA was established in 1996 as a biotechnology collaboration within the framework of the European Union Project, under the leadership of Professor Mariapia Viola-Magni. In 2007, it was registered and transformed into the European Biotechnology Thematic Network Association. In this context, we would like to declare that we will continue to carry out scientific activities with great determination, in the light of the torch lit by Mariapia, whom we see as the heart and soul of our association. We also believe that her scientific attitude will be a great source of inspiration for young scientists, as it is for all of us.
Only 14 months after Mariapia passed away, we witnessed with deep sadness the loss of Professor Kevan M.A. Gartland, in February 2019. With his death, EBTNA lost not only a Vice-President, but also a pillar of strength with a solid academic background, and a beloved friend. He brought a wide range of experience to EBTNA, giving strong support to Professor Mariapia Viola-Magni for the establishment of student exchange programmes. We are extremely grateful to him for his valuable contributions to the development of biotechnology at the international level.
The EBTNA has attained its rightful seat of honour in the progress of biotechnology science. We are extremely pleased that we have become a global association, being recognised as a professional institution that has long been a pioneer in innovation, knowledge and education, but without losing the feeling and sincerity of a family. We are very proud and glad that we have organised so far many scientific events in different countries.
The venue of The European Biotechnology Congress 2020 – Prague, is the capital of the Czech Republic. As the country that laid down the principal laws of heredity, introduced the contact lens to the world and successfully developed the compounds on which current anti-AIDS drugs are based, the Czech Republic is an attractive location for organisation of international biotechnology events. The most successful areas within which Czech life-sciences entities operate and collaborate internationally are research, development and production of human and veterinary pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, fermentation technologies, animal and plant biotechnologies, and the use of biotechnology in waste management and environmental protection.
The Congress ‘hybrid’ approach, onsite in Prague and online, allowed present and virtual speakers and attendants to participate simultaneously. The main goal of the congress was to bring together leading researchers, clinicians, industry professionals and other relevant experts, to discuss ways to improve current research strategies in biotechnology. Besides, it also aimed at teaching the philosophical way of pursuing science ethics to graduate and doctoral students who are continuing their education in this field. For this reason, the scientific programme included lectures in many areas of biotechnology, such as plant and environmental technologies, transgenic plants, medical biotechnology, gene therapy or tissue engineering, amongst many others. All of these topics were addressed in detail, within the scope of the congress, by 72 invited speakers. Among them, national (Czech) scientists formed an important part, substantially contributing to the high scientific level of the congress. We are convinced that the different perspectives on the issues dealt with in the congress will be a source of innovation, both for students and experts working in this field, and will lead to the emergence of bright new ideas.
When we look at this distinguished congregation, we are proud that we have grown this much since EBTNA birth and could reach all over the world. The European Biotechnology Society is represented in 52 countries, including all Europe and other countries in the world. The main objective of the association is to implement, consult or supervise programmes for the assessment of skills and knowledge in sciences, with an emphasis on biotechnology. Our science community grew rapidly as the science we deal with developed and managed to reach large audiences, by organising many events concerning education, training and research. Among all the achievements of our association, we are also proud to mention that we have completed the fourth anniversary of The EuroBiotech Journal’s first publication. The EuroBiotech Journal is a peer-reviewed, open-access international journal that publishes original articles, reviews and case reports in all fields of biotechnology and the life sciences, including topics from biomedical sciences to animal or plant biotechnology, omics sciences or protein engineering.
When the first issue of The EuroBiotech Journal was published in 2017, we stated that one of our main goals was to become a journal indexed in all leading databases. Now, we should mention that The EuroBiotech Journal has achieved significant success by being indexed in the WoS (Web of Science) index system in this past four years. We are delighted that relevant topics presented within the scope of the congress are being published in this issue of the journal. There is no doubt that scientists will have the opportunity to announce their esteemed studies, presented at EBTNA’s annual activities, to a broader audience when our publication becomes increasingly prestigious.
To sum up, we appreciate everyone else who contributed, stating that the support of our potential audience and the meticulous work of the editorial board played an important role in achieving this success. This achievement is undoubtedly the success of the whole EBTNA.
Our goal will always be to encourage future generations to become individuals beneficial to society and humanity, without leaving the line of the achievements we have already reached, in the light of science and biotechnology. We hope that the articles and abstracts published in this issue will be an inspiration and beneficial for the entire scientific community.
President of EBTNA
Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey
[email protected]
Ivana Marova
Chairman of the Local Scientific and Organizing Committee of European Biotechnology Congress 2020
Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, Brno, Czech Republic
Oscar Vicente
Vice-President of EBTNA
Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain