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Integrating different windows on reality: socio‐economic and institutional challenges for culture collections
Author(s) -
Daniel HeideMarie,
Himmelreich Uwe,
Dedeurwaerdere Tom
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
international social science journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.237
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1468-2451
pISSN - 0020-8701
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-2451.2006.00624.x
Subject(s) - intellectual property , commons , argument (complex analysis) , task (project management) , data sharing , knowledge management , data science , focus (optics) , genetic resources , traditional knowledge , business , computer science , sociology , political science , ecology , economics , microbiology and biotechnology , law , biology , management , medicine , biochemistry , physics , alternative medicine , optics , pathology , indigenous
The task of a comprehensive exploration of micro‐organisms in medicine, agriculture, industry, basic, applied and environmental sciences requires many resources and highly specialised methods of collection. The resulting wealth of data makes it essential for experts from different fields to collaborate closely for efficiently translating it into social benefits. Resulting commercial applications are one driving force in further developments that might generate conflicts between intellectual property rights and the need of accessible, shared databases. Culture collections for micro‐organisms might act as mediators by defining the regulations for access to data and materials. In this article we address problems and potentials of sharing information as part of organising broad access to diverse forms of information on microbial commons. Our main argument is that a focus on genetic information only, by neglecting the importance of combining and sharing facts coming from the behaviour and the environment of living organisms, results in loss of expertise, knowledge, and social opportunities both for developed and developing countries, the latter being the reservoir of most of the remaining biodiversity on Earth.