Dear IOBB members ,

As you may be aware from my announcement in the year 2000, I announced our IOBB General Assembly Meeting as well as sent a questionaire for election of representatives as we always did in the past. With the universal trend of reduced funding for travel, response was very poor and only 5 members turned up to the IOBB meeting on Monday September 3rd, 2000 in Berlin. Since our Vice-Chairman and
Chairman-elect was not present as well as no quorum could be obtained, the members decided and asked me to continue as Chairman. At the meeting in Berlin I explained to the members present that I am not able to continue to spent much time in the organisation of IOBB owing to my wife's severe illness and constant care requirement.

IOBB today has a website that was last updated in 2000 and has a mailing list of about 150 former members who have not paid their membership fees. Activities were therefore limited, except the sub-group called "Integrated Biosystems Network" (IBSnet) that conducted several electronic activities (two conferences, a workshop and several seminars) by its coordinator (Mr. Eng-Leong Foo).

I am very happy to announce today that I have transferred the Chairmanship of IOBB as of 1st January 2004 to Mr. Eng-Leong Foo. Jacky Foo works as a research scientist at the Department of Biotechnology, Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. He is also the co-director of MIRCEN (Microbial Resources Centers Network in Environmental, Applied Microbiological and Biotechnological Research) and a Fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Science. I am very grateful to Mr. "Jacky" Foo for his preparedness to take over the chairmanship and will revive IOBB with new members and activities.

I wish IOBB all the very best of success and hope that it will unite all biotechnological areas, in particular the old agricultural and fermentation technology areas. I will still maintain my membership and contribute whatever I may be able to do.

My thanks go also to all those members who have been active over the period of my time as chairman and have contributed to the course of
biotechnology.

With all my best wishes
Horst W.Doelle, DSc, DSc[h.c.]
retired chairman