Two international trainings on the in vitro culture of AM fungi are offered by the CESAMM/GINCO teams.

For more information, visit: International trainings website

Services > Strain deposit

> Accession form (GINCO-BEL) online

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Accession Form (GINCO-BEL)

DBT1 - BP/1 (patent deposit forms)

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Detailed procedure to make patent deposit on BCCM™ website

Three types of deposits can be distinguished: public deposit, safe deposit, patent deposit.

Two types of biological material are preferably accepted as deposit:

Under particular circumstances GINCO-BEL may also accept soil containing AMF.

Ideally all cultures sent to the Collection for deposit should be pure.

The depositors are requested to complete the Accession Form (GINCO-BEL) online (or download and complete the PDF Accession form) to furnish the collection with as much informations as possible concerning the strains.

1. Public deposit

For researchers, a public deposit constitutes a pragmatic solution to preserving and distributing their cultures to third parties.

On receipt at GINCO-BEL, the cultures are checked for viability, identity and purity and are assigned an accession number if they are found to be in satisfactory condition for the collection. The cultures will be included in the public collection, respecting, if applicable, any restrictions imposed on distribution.

2. Safe Deposit

GINCO-BEL provides, as a special service, the safe deposit of proprietary strains which remain the exclusive property of the depositor. Safe deposit strains are made available only to the depositor and are not catalogued.

Safe deposits are preserved by continuous cultures and for some specific cultures by cryoconservation at -130°c. They are tested for viability yearly, and returned to the depositor for approval.

3. Patent deposit

The BCCM™ is recognised as an "International Depositary Authority (IDA)" under the "Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Micro-organisms for the Purpose of Patent Procedure".

Being part of BCCM™/MUCL, GINCO-BEL falls under this Treaty. One single patent deposit within GINCO-BEL is sufficient to meet the legal requirements of not only the European patent Office, but also the patent offices of, for example, the USA, Japan and Australia.

The procedures for making deposits for patent purposes are outlined on the BCCM™ website.

To apply for a deposit for patent purposes, the depositor should complete form DBT1 (contract between the two parts, 2 copies) and deposit form BP/1 (informations about the specfied organism, 1 copy) from the Collection. All copies must be completed by the depositor and returned to the collection, preferably before the organism is submitted for deposit. Because the acceptability and the viability of the organism must be verified by the Collection before the patenting procedure can be completed, depositors are advised to ensure that the Collection receives the organism in sufficient time to prevent avoidable delays.

After the BCCM™/MUCL has accepted an organism, the depositor will be sent the documents attesting to the receipt and accession of the organism and its viability (forms BP/4 and BP/9). The BCCM™/MUCL recommends that clients request the Collection to send copies of both documents (free charge) to the depositor patent agent.

The BCCM™/MUCL observes the confidentiality, secrecy and security regulations outlined in the Budapest Treaty. Distribution of patent strains requires the authorization of the depositor or an entitled industrial property office. Patent strains will not be catalogued.