Article 1 of Law No. 2004-429 establishing the regime of the Free Zone for Biotechnology and Information and Communication Technologies in Côte d'Ivoire (ZBTIC) defines the activities relating to Biotechnology as activities intended to promote, develop, technical microbiology and environmental biotechnique, biotechnology of animal and plant cells, pharmacy, biotechnological engineering, molecular biotechnology, bioinformatics, biochemical techniques and generally the life sciences.

These activities, as defined by the article above, implement multidisciplinary skills, including biology, chemistry, physics, and computer science, with the aim of meeting economic, health and environmental challenges.

For a better understanding of the activities eligible for VITIB SA approval, it is our responsibility to define the key areas in which its activities are divided:

1. Health and biopharmacy

• Development of medicines: Vaccines, gene therapies, monoclonal antibodies, and cell therapies.
• Medical diagnosis: Screening tests, biomarkers, genetic technologies (such as CRISPR for genomic editing).
• Research on diseases: Study of human pathologies to develop preventive or curative solutions.

2. Agri-food

• Crop improvement: Creation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), disease resistance, yield improvement.
• Biopesticides and biofertilizers: Use of micro-organisms to reduce the use of chemical products.
• Food production: Fermentation (such as the production of yeast, cheese, wine or beer) and functional ingredients (probiotics, food enzymes).

3. Environment

• Bioremediation: Decontamination of soil, water or air using micro-organisms.
• Waste treatment: Valorization of organic waste into biogas or compost.
• Renewable energies: Production of biofuels (bioethanol, biodiesel).

4. Industry

• White biotechnology: Production of bioplastics, industrial enzymes, and green chemical products.
• Biofabrication: Creation of bio-inspired materials such as textile fibers or biomaterials for 3D printing.
• Optimization of industrial processes: Reduction of environmental impacts thanks to biological processes.

5. Fundamental research and genomics

• DNA sequencing: Mapping of human, animal or plant genomes.
• Bioinformatics: Analysis and modeling of biological data.
• Synthetic biology: Design and construction of artificial biological systems.

6. Cosmetics and well-being

• Natural active ingredients: Use of biological extracts for skin and hair care.
• Bioactive products: Use of micro-algae or bacteria for innovative formulations.

7. Security and defense

• Detection of pathogens: Biological sensors for detecting biological or chemical agents.
• Development of antidotes: Research to counter biological or chemical weapons.

It should be noted, according to article 6 of Law No. 2004-429, “the activities of transfer, manipulation, use and marketing of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and living modified organisms (LMOs) are subject to the prior authorization of the competent authorities of the State of Côte d'Ivoire.