Honam Biodiversity Center Island Biological Material Bank Joins WFCC

"World-Class Microbial Resource Management and Cooperation"

The National Honam Biological Resource Center (Director Park Jinyoung), under the Ministry of Environment, announced that the Island Biological Material Bank managed by the institution will officially become a member of the World Federation for Culture Collections (WFCC) on the 11th.

Established in 1970, the WFCC is an international cooperative organization with participation from over 100 institutions across 41 countries. It supports the collection, preservation, management, and sustainable utilization of microbial resources worldwide. As a sub-organization under UNESCO's international research, its office is located in Utrecht, the Netherlands (as of 2024).

Exterior view of the National Honam Biological Resources Center.

Through this membership, the National Honam Biological Resource Center aims to strengthen global trust in the microbial materials of the Island Biological Material Bank and enhance information sharing with researchers worldwide. Based on this, the center plans to promote the unique value of island and coastal biological resources globally and lay the foundation for biodiversity research and industrial applications.

The Island Biological Material Bank was established in November 2021 within the National Honam Biological Resource Center (located in Mokpo, Jeonnam), and it is responsible for discovering, preserving, depositing, and distributing biological resources (natural products, genetic resources, cultures) native to domestic islands and coastal areas.

In particular, to ensure systematic and standardized management of biological resources, the bank has obtained ISO 9001 certification for its quality management system, thereby enhancing material quality and reliability.

Meanwhile, with this membership, the total number of domestic institutions that have joined the WFCC has increased to eight. Among these, three are affiliated with or under the Ministry of Environment: the National Institute of Biological Resources (National Wild Biological Material Bank, 2015), the Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources (Freshwater Biological Resource Bank, 2024), and the National Honam Biological Resource Center (Island Biological Material Bank, 2025).

Director Park Jinyoung stated, "With this membership in the WFCC, the Island Biological Material Bank will further strengthen its international standing and mark the beginning of world-class resource management and cooperation." He added, "We will continue to strive for enhanced international research collaboration and resource utilization in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.