Biosafety Committee
Ensuring 100% safe and responsible research.
Some of our most groundbreaking research requires experimentation with organisms and biological agents, such as invasive species or pathogens, which require special measures in terms of facilities and work procedures to guarantee the safety and health of our staff, as well as the well-being of the environment and nearby communities.
The Biosafety Committee (BC) of the IIM-CSIC is a multidisciplinary group of professionals that ensures strict compliance with the relevant biosafety regulations. This takes place before the start of any projects involving particularly sensitive organisms and continues throughout the whole duration of the research programme.
The BC committee is responsible for the assessment of the biological risks associated with each new proposed activity. According to said risk assessment, the BC is also responsible for evaluating the available facilities to ensure their adequacy and compliance with biosafety requirements, as well as for notifying the competent authorities of the activities developed at the institute, detailing the type of biological agents involved.
The Committee also ensures proper compliance with the appropriate regulations and protocols, as well as the maintenance of the necessary standards in the facilities. Finally, the BC is also in charge of providing the staff involved in risk activities with biosafety training and information.
Together with the rest of the committees integrated in the Prevention, Security and Ethics Unit (UPSE), it ensures the ethical and responsible use of highly sensitive organisms, always relying on the advice from the CSIC's Ethics and Biosafety Committee and following the regulations established by the National Institute for Occupational Health & Safety (INSST) and the European Biosafety Association (EBSA).
