Biotechnological Expansion in Serbia: Between Science and Data Security
AMO
/ Ed. 23. 11. 2024
In recent years, Serbia has found itself at the center of biotechnological innovation, particularly through the ambitious BIO4 campus project, which aims to position Serbia as a leader in biotechnology in the Balkans. However, what does the collaboration with the Chinese genomic giant BGI Group—a company the U.S. authorities seek to ban—say about the privacy of genetic data and the development of the country's biotech scene?
BGI, a Chinese leader in genomic research with which Serbia has developed an intensive partnership, has faced international controversies for years due to its ties to the Chinese military and its involvement in genetic profiling of the Chinese population. Serbia has warmly embraced China’s offer of friendship, integrating the BGI institute into COVID-19 labs, the BIO4 campus, universities, and the Institute for Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering…
Across the Atlantic, U.S. authorities seek to ban BGI equipment over fears of genetic data theft. Dubbed “Huawei of Genomics” by Western media, BGI has, since the pandemic’s onset, turned to less developed markets, including Serbia, under geopolitical pressure.
The article by Aleksa Tešić was originaly published with the support of the project Enhancing the Capacities of Serbian Investigative Journalists in Mapping Foreign Influence in Serbia by Nova. You can read the original version in Serbian here.
