1st Breakout Session - Blue Team: L. LeBeck, Leader
List opportunities for commercialization of biocontrol.
- Grower co-ops as producers of biological control agents.
- "IPM schools" (why dont we have this already?).
- Room for Augmentation info out there need to be "information "intensive".
- More urban BC products (roaches, ants, fleas) targeting homeowner and gardeners.
- Commodity, market-driven partnerships (outline everything from development to implementation right from the start).
- Expansion of IR-4 (expand whole concept) , beyond registration other methods.
- More BC for aerial diseases of crops.
- Multi-institutional industry communication (meetings in small groups); universities, industry, growers, regulatory agencies.
- Increased transgenic research and more work on how these systems interrelate
- Delivery system specifically for BC.
- Integration of all possible practices (better IPM); users should be aware of all options for BC practice.
- New position: a BC Specialist.
- Reputation of BC needs to be increased better promotion of success stories.
- EPA to give financial break for developing biologicals: break $2-3 million barrier.
- Niche marketing! Increase marketing in the retail sector (nurseries etc.); which will increase the opportunity of smaller BC companies to market directly to the homeowner, grower, retailer.
Identify five of these opportunities that are novel and have potential for development in the next ten years.
- Grower Coops; commodity-based partnerships.
- Education improvement and decision support systems specifically for biocontrol.
- Target homeowner market and other niche markets.
Using the opportunities as a starting point, identify the key legal issues as ramifications that will play a role, one way or the other, in the effective commercialization of biocontrol. List key obstacles and identify the most important. Who or what could resolve obstacles? (For example, consider protection of intellectual property through patents or copyrights; authorities, liabilities, regulatory issues.)
- Liability to members of coop: need to assure public that the product is safe: is insurance possible?
- Hoops needed to jump thru to get product used.
- Cost of insurance..
- Need:
- Harmonization of Federal and State regulations.
- CRADA: Coop. Research and Development Agreements.
- Patent rights, proprietary publ. rights, financial partic. by each party.
- Material transfer agreements.
- Rights to existing patents.
Identify the key financial or business issues that will play a role, one way or the other, in the effective commercialization of biocontrol. List key obstacles and identify the three most important. Who or what could resolve obstacles? (For example, consider start-up costs, profit margin, client base, economics of scale, competition, markets.)
Identify the key scientific and technological issues that will play a role one way or the other, in the effective commercialization of biocontrol. List key obstacles and identify the three most important. Who or what could resolve obstacles? (For example, consider available technology; employee, client and environmental safety; geographical scope of product or service.)
- Shelf-life important, simple to use, etc.
Identify the key education and communication issues that will play a role one way or the other, in the effective commercialization of biocontrol. List key obstacles and identify the most important. Who or what could resolve obstacles? (For example, consider user education/market changes; user, extension, and regulation education; public relations and marketing strategies.)
- Sell it as different, sell it as fresh.
- BC educ improvement and decision support systems specifically for BC.:
- Better marketing (education in general).
- Enhancing awareness (PR).
- Education is marketing.
- Demonstrate efficacy localized.
- A new type of pest control specialist (BC).
- Science and technology, education; more training in IPM, BC.
- EPA, other Fed. Agencies, State agencies, needed to evaluate products framework for evaluation needs to be in-place.
- Identify trend-setters to show efficacy.
- Growers must buy into BC systems.
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