The same point applies to an administrator learning about the ins and outs of preparing a biosafety field trial application. For those involved, the fellowships have been transforming experiences. Having seen what biotechnology can do, the Fellows return not just with new knowledge but with an enthusiastic determination to bring biotech s benefits to their country. Some of them have decided to become specialists in agricultural biotechnology. These fellowships have also been crucial for developing a team spirit in the Network.
People can see the mutual advantages that collaboration offers.
They are no longer skeptical about the possibility of agreements in which both sides gain. There are institutions public and private in the North and there are organizations here in Southeast Asia that can contribute. The different national institutes have different strengths. The Philippines and Vietnam, for example, have more experience in tissue-culture techniques than some other countries in the Network. So the fellowships are a good way to facilitate the transfer of biotechnology from one member country to another.