Many countries around the world regulate access to non-human biological material (“genetic resources”) for research purposes and also require benefits arising from this use to be shared with them. This is referred to as “access and benefit-sharing” (ABS).
Since 12 October 2014, the Nagoya Protocol has been in force. It provides a comprehensive international framework for access, benefit-sharing and compliance.
EU Regulation No 511/2014 is in place to make sure that research and development in the European Union, including academic and non-commercial research, is Nagoya Protocol compliant.