Microbial electrochemistry and technology capacity building challenges-focus on Latin America & Caribbean and Africa

Microbial electrochemistry and microbial electrochemical technology (MET) is an interdisciplinary research area that has been intensively growing in the past decades. However, in some regions like Latin America & Caribbean (LA & C) and Africa, capacity building within this realm is scarce. Hence, the advancement of research and development in this field is slower and less established than in Europe, Asia Pacific, or North America. This is of special concerns as MET may be important components of a biobased circular economy. Here, we highlight the specific challenges researchers in LA & C and Africa have to face and put these into perspective to their general research and education environment. Subsequently, we discuss possible solutions to these challenges and showcase examples on how to overcome these. We hope that thereby awareness can be created and how each researcher in the field around the globe can individually contribute to decrease the gap in capacity building in LA & C and Africa compared to other regions.

Automated summary

Microbial electrochemistry and microbial electrochemical technology (MET) is a thriving interdisciplinary research field. However, capacity building in regions such as Latin America & Caribbean (LA & C) and Africa is lacking, leading to slower research and development progress in these areas compared to Europe, Asia Pacific, or North America. This article highlights the specific challenges faced by researchers in LA & C and Africa and discusses potential solutions to overcome them, emphasizing the importance of global collaboration to bridge the capacity building gap.