Biosafety is defined in Belgium as "The safety for human health and the environment, including the protection of biodiversity, during the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or micro-organisms (GMMs), and during the contained use of pathogenic organisms for humans".
file
Notification procedures
In Belgium activities involving GMOs and/or pathogens can be performed only if they have been notified and authorised by the relevant Competent Authority(ies). Different procedures apply depending on the type of activity and/or organism involved.
Quick access: Notification procedures for "Contained Use" activities in Brussels, Wallonia, Flanders
wrench
Practical tools for risk assessment and risk management of "contained use" activities
Guidelines developed to provide support to carefully assess potential biological risks associated with activities involving GMOs and/or pathogens and for applying appropriate risk management measures.
Quick access: Belgian risk classes of micro-organisms
Criteria for containment levels
Mpox: biosafety of research and diagnostics, in French and Dutch
bars
Databases for field and clinical trials with GMOs in Belgium
Information about "deliberate release" or "contained use" notifications in Belgium for:
user
This website is managed by the Service Biosafety and Biotechnology (SBB) of Sciensano, a permanent center of expertise providing scientific advice in the field of biosafety.
book
The SBB publishes scientific papers and reports on biosafety-related issues.
Our book: 1990-2010: 20 years of risk assessment of GMOs and pathogens
gavel
Belgian biosafety regulatory framework
In a complex institutional context, Belgium set up a biosafety regulatory framework harmonised between the Federal State and the Regions based on a single science-based biosafety advisory system composed of two bodies: the Biosafety Advisory Council and the SBB.
star
EU biosafety regulatory framework
The assessment of biological risks associated with the use of GMOs and/or pathogens is supported by a comprehensive regulatory framework, in particular at European Union (EU) level. The EU legislation forms the basis of the implementation of biosafety in Belgium.
tags
This website also provides scientific information on various biosafety topics for all people having interest in specific fields.
clock
Historical overview of the emergence of the concept of biosafety and its implementation
The assessment of biological risks associated with the use of pathogens and/or recombinant DNA techniques has taken shape through different periods in recent history and through different fields.