The term Biorisk Professional (BRP) was created at the time as a collective name for professionals who are responsible for one or more biorisk-related topics, including biosafety, biosecurity, GMO, health and safety, dual-use, export, transport, Nagoya protocol, etc. (these are biosafety officers, occupational hygienists and other safety experts). However, there are various signals from the field that other names are also being used (Biorisk Management Professional or Biorisk Prevention Professional). In addition, it has also been noted that the name BRP is not entirely correct; after all, it is not a professional who causes bio-risks.

The Biosecurity Office aims to use a consistent and well-considered name, which also aligns with internationally accepted terminology. Various discussions with experts and consultation of international documents have shown that the name Biorisk Management Advisor (BMA) is more suitable than Biorisk Professional (BRP). The ISO 35001 (Biorisk management for laboratories and other related organizations) describes Biorisk Management Advisor and attributes roles, tasks and responsibilities to this position. In addition, a technical working group is working on converting the CWA 16335 2011 (Biosafety professional competence) to an ISO standard entitled 'Competence of Biorisk Management Advisors' (https://www.iso.org/standard/81240.html) .

Both the terms BRP and BMA have not yet been laid down by law. The Biosecurity Office has identified tasks, competences and responsibilities for the BRP that are derived from ISO 35001 and CWA 16335 2011. These will be comparable for the BMA as only a name change is proposed. In order to properly cover the scope and content of the BMA, it is important to carefully define tasks, powers and responsibilities. It should also be noted that the name BVF (biosafety officer) will be retained, as this is laid down in the GMO Decree.

The responses of the participants of the webinar on April 22 showed that the new name of Biorisk Management Advisor was received almost unanimously positively. If you want to respond to the proposal to introduce the name Biorisk Management Advisor, you can do so until 1 June 2021.