To assist domestic seed companies in aligning their quality management and testing technologies with international standards, Taiwan Seed Improvement and Propagation Station (TSIPS) of Ministry of Agriculture has established the Bio-Open Lab. This lab serves as a site for technical validation and educational training and is now open for applications from industry stakeholders. This initiative not only lowers the investment threshold for utilizing molecular detection technologies but also enhances the quality control techniques for confidential parental lines, breeding materials, and export seeds. Industry participants are encouraged to make use of this facility.

TSIPS explained that while the industry recognizes molecular biotechnology as routine tools for breeding and quality control, establishing and maintaining a laboratory can cost millions of NT dollars. Additionally, it requires consideration of training laboratory staff and utilization rates. For domestic seed companies, which are generally small to medium-sized enterprises, this is a challenging investment decision. The Bio-Open Lab addresses this issue by allowing companies to save on hardware costs through lab rental and by offering personnel training or technical guidance, thereby preventing the risk of leakage of valuable breeding materials through testing outsourcing.

TSIPS stated that our station possesses extensive experience in ISO 17025 laboratory quality management and testing services, and keeps efforts in developing molecular marker assisted selection for plant traits. Seed enterprises can conduct technical verification using their own materials at the Bio-Open Lab. This facilitates the application of public sector research results in the industry. The Bio-Open Lab is sincerely dedicated to serving the seed industry. For more information on rental management directions, please refer to the latest announcements on the TSIPS’s official website (https://www.tss.gov.tw/index.php).

▲Training activities in the Bio-Open Lab.