As the ECO Agricultural Biotechnology Network coordinator, I am pleased to introduce ECO-ABN and its goals.

Agricultural biotechnology is built with scientific tools and technical skills that can enhance crop productivity production and improve food security at the global level.  Furthermore, this science offers significant economic, environmental, and social opportunities in the years ahead. Then, it is essential to apply modern biotechnological strategies to improve food production for growing demand and ensure food security in the member countries of ECO. Moreover, this is crucial to solve these countries' economic and environmental issues using agricultural biotechnology.

Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran (ABRII) has well-trained staff, excellent expertise, and state-of-the-art research facilities. Consequently, ABRII can play a vital role in target-oriented agricultural research to address the region's main agrarian problems and capacity building and training in agricultural biotechnology and related sciences. This institute is hosting the ECO-ABN, which is submitted through diplomatic channels to the ECO secretariat in Iran.

The ultimate goal of the ECO-ABN is to enhance the capacity of member states in the research and development of biotechnology and its application in agriculture by assisting the national agricultural researchers in applying biotechnology to meet their own national needs. We emphasize the importance of the ECO countries being able to develop their biotechnology to suit their particular environments through education and technology transfer. In the Experts Group Meetings (EGMs), representatives of the member countries report their research activities and try to connect them in directions that could help their scientists conduct further research.

We look forward to collaborating with national institutions and individual scientists in biotechnology within the ECO region and the international organizations worldwide.

Dr. Amene Naseri

ECO-ABN coordinator