Costa Rican
Biotechnology Centre In
Jeopardy
By Bryan Kay
Costa Rica could lose a
multi-million euro
donation from the
European Union (EU) to
build and equip a new
biotechnology centre.
The laboratory — the
National Centre for
Biotechnology
Innovations (CENIBiot) —
was formally unveiled
more than two years ago,
but work has yet to
start due to delays in
the process of awarding
contracts to builders
and suppliers.
This has led the EU to
warn that if the delays
are still continuing by
December this year the
€11 million (about US$17
million) donation could
be withdrawn.
Roelf Smit, first
councillor at the
European Commission
delegation in Costa
Rica, said the EU has
raised its concerns with
the Costa Rican Foreign
Ministry and advisors to
the president, Oscar
Arias.
The controversy
surrounds the Ministry
of Science and
Technology, one of the
government entities
responsible for the
centre. The delays
appeared to start when
the ministry's
agreements surrounding
the project were sent
for revision to the
Controller of the
Republic, the regulatory
body that monitors
public sector finance.
Smit told La Nación
newspaper the future of
CENIBiot depends on the
success of two open
bids: one to build the
laboratory and the other
to stock the centre with
the necessary equipment.
Both bids will remain
open until the end of
May, but it is feared a
delay of any type in the
process of awarding
contracts could
jeopardize the start of
scientific research.
The EU has also
stipulated that by
December it must know
which investigations
CENIBiot will be working
on.
"I believe that the
project could yet be
realized to a great
degree [but] it is
evident that if [the
bids aren't awarded
without delays] it will
be impossible," Smit
told daily newspaper La
Nación.
It is understood the EU
would be unprepared to
negotiate an extension
to allow the project
more time to allocate
the donated money.
But the Ministry of
Science and Technology
insists that by December
all of the resources
will be assigned.
The aim of CENIBiot is
to increase
competitiveness in
agro-industry, among
other sectors, by
developing and
introducing
biotechnology.
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