• GNP HuB
    • About
    • Network
    • Library
    • Podcasts
    • News
    • Calendar
  • ABS
    • Understanding the ABS world – infographic
    • Build your ABS Strategy – checklist
    • Benefit-sharing
    • Video: Nagoya For Newbies
    • ABS – dealing with practical challenges
    • Tools & Resources for ABS
    • ABS Stories
  • Compliance
    • Video: ABS compliance supports your science
    • Do I have compliance obligations?
    • What are my obligations?
    • Tools & Resources for Compliance
    • User checks
    • Implications of non-compliance
  • Your institution
    • Institutional measures for compliance – infographic
    • Guidelines for institutions
    • Who can I contact at my institution?
    • Registered collections
    • Compliance Stories
  • FAQs and more
    • FAQ
    • Mythbusters
    • Acronyms and terms explained
    • Current issues
  • Contact
  • German
Nagoyaprotocol-hubNagoyaprotocol-hub
  • GNP HuB
    • About
    • Network
    • Library
    • Podcasts
    • News
    • Calendar
  • ABS
    • Understanding the ABS world – infographic
    • Build your ABS Strategy – checklist
    • Benefit-sharing
    • Video: Nagoya For Newbies
    • ABS – dealing with practical challenges
    • Tools & Resources for ABS
    • ABS Stories
  • Compliance
    • Video: ABS compliance supports your science
    • Do I have compliance obligations?
    • What are my obligations?
    • Tools & Resources for Compliance
    • User checks
    • Implications of non-compliance
  • Your institution
    • Institutional measures for compliance – infographic
    • Guidelines for institutions
    • Who can I contact at my institution?
    • Registered collections
    • Compliance Stories
  • FAQs and more
    • FAQ
    • Mythbusters
    • Acronyms and terms explained
    • Current issues
  • Contact
  • German

IMPRESSUM

Leibniz-Institut DSMZ-Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen GmbH
Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH

Inhoffenstraße 7 B
38124 Braunschweig
GERMANY

Phone: +49 (0) 531-2616-0
Fax: +49 (0) 531-2616-418
E-Mail contact@dsmz.de
Internet: http://www.dsmz.de

Legal Form:
The Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures is a limited liability company (“Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung” (GmbH)).
Registration Number: HRB 2570
Commercial Register Braunschweig, Germany

Person authorized to represent:
Scientific Director: Prof. Dr. Jörg Overmann;
Administrative Managing Director: Bettina Fischer

EU VAT Registration Number:
DE 114815269

Editor responsible for the content of the website:
Elizabeth Karger, Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH

This applies to:
Twitter

Linkedin

Website implementation:
Ellery Studio GbR

General information:
All information on the www.nagoyaprototol-hub.de website is checked for accuracy and is continuously up-dated. However, we cannot guarantee the completeness, correctness and topicality of this information. Therefore, we reject any claims for damages caused by the use of this information, including any information which is incomplete or incorrect.

According to the verdict of the District Court in Hamburg, the owner of a website is responsible for the content which appears in the linked websites. This can only be prevented when the owner explicitly dissociates itself from this content. We have placed links to other websites in the internet on our website. We emphasize that we have no influence on this content or the design of any websites linked to www.nagoyaprototol-hub.de. We disassociate ourselves from the content on any websites linked to www.nagoyaprototol-hub.de and hereby inform you that we take no responsibility for that content. This statement applies to all links used on www.nagoyaprototol-hub.de.

Copyright:
The content and works on these pages created by the website operators are subject to German copyright law. The duplication, editing, distribution and any kind of utilization outside the limits of copyright law require the written consent of the respective author or creator. Downloads and copies of these pages are only permitted for private, non-commercial use. Insofar as the content on this site was not created by the operator, the copyrights of third parties are observed. In particular, third-party content is identified as such. Should you nevertheless become aware of a copyright infringement, please inform us accordingly. If we become aware of any infringements, we will remove such content immediately.

The copyright for any material created by the Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH is reserved.

Social media
In an effort to make our internet presence more attractive and user-friendly, we will be adding social media plug-ins to our website (www.nagoyaprototol-hub.de). This will allow you to link directly to the selected internet platforms (Twitter and LinkedIn). Whenever you use the link to another website using a plug-in, a direct connection to that network platform’s server is established, meaning that your data is automatically transmitted to the operators of that web server. If you are a registered account holder of these platforms, your visit to these websites would be traceable and the information will be used to generate your individual surf profile.

 

The German Nagoya Protocol HuB is financed by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt für Naturschutz) with funds from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, nukleare Sicherheit und Verbraucherschutz)

 

 

© 2023 · Nagoyaprotocol-hub. Impressum | Privacy Policy

  • Some countries also have ABS laws even though they are NOT Party to the Nagoya Protocol. You still must comply with these laws!
  • Some countries in the EU also have specific national ABS laws.
  • If your research will involve traditional knowledge, you must take into account the national ABS rules in this regard.

In cases of non-compliance the National Authority (BfN) can:

  • confiscate the material.
  • prohibit further use and transfer of the material for research.
  • prohibit the publication or sharing of any results of utilization.
  • issue a fine of up to 50,000 EUR.

Check out more about the implications of non-compliance.

How do I check?

  • Start with the country profile in the ABS Clearing House (ABSCH).
  • Check out the legislative, administrative or policy measures section. If no measures can be found here, the interim reports might also contain relevant information. Tip! filter by country.
  • Be careful though. This information is not always complete or up to date. Some countries have ABS laws but they are not listed in the ABSCH.

To play safe and ensure legal clarity, always contact the ABS national focal point and/or the competent national authority. Tip! filter by country.

No answer?

  • Try contacting the national focal point of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
  • Ask collaboration partners in the country for help – easier for them to contact the authorities in their own country and language!
  • Ask colleagues who have worked in that country before.
  • Use the internet to find resources.
  • Contact the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN). They have information about ABS and may be able to assist.

For research done in Germany, the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation recommends using the DECLARE portal.

An account is required. Check with your institution as it may already have one.

This video and the user guide are very useful to start!

Starting your project before ABS permits have been granted is a violation of the EU Regulation and can get you in trouble if your institute is being checked by the German National Authority (BfN)!

In this regard, you have obligations under the EU ABS Regulation if:

  • You collected the material…
  • The collaborator who gave you the material collected it…
  • The material obtained from a collection was originally collected…
  • The shop or company where you bought the material collected it…

on or after 12 October 2014

This date is key because it is when the Nagoya Protocol entered into force.

When you obtain material from a collaborator, collection or trader, it is important to verify if there are benefit-sharing obligations linked to it.

For example: research on specific genetic or biochemical properties, gene function, gene expression, genetic modification, genome editing, breeding based on traits and their associated genes, among others.

The EU Regulation does not apply when research does not involve the study of the genetic or biochemical composition, e.g. storing biological materials in a collection, mere culturing of organisms, taxonomic identification, morphological or anatomical characterization, among others.

See the guidance document for more information and examples on “utilisation”.

Also check our FAQs section on it.

ABS obligations may or may not apply depending on the type of research. There could be exemptions for non-commercial or basic research.

Keep in mind that exemptions for local researchers may not apply if they conduct their research abroad (e.g. guest researchers bring material from their home country to study it in Germany).

Within the European Union, obligations stem from Regulation (EU) No 511/2014.

The EU Guidance Document contains information on scope, obligations and understanding whether your material/research is covered, including many practical examples. It is available in all EU languages and is a must-have resource.

Not all countries that are Party to the Nagoya Protocol regulate access, e.g. Germany. In such cases, you are free to use the genetic resources obtained from these countries without getting ABS permits.

You are obliged by the EU and German law to support user checks by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation.

Failure to support a user check is an administrative offence.

When you transfer the material to another person or institution:

  • Search if there are ABS documents relating to the material you have.
  • Check if the transfer to third parties is permitted.
  • Transfer also the information, e.g. a copy of the ABS permit or the number of the internationally recognized certificate of compliance (IRCC) published on the ABS Clearing House.

Having a good documentation system will save you headaches in the future.

Read the documents and understand your obligations as well as any conditions and restrictions on use of the material.

Keep in mind your commitments on benefit-sharing!

The due diligence declaration informs the competent authority in Germany that your research and material is Nagoya Protocol relevant and that you have complied with your ABS obligations.

Check out more about it!

“Derivative” means a naturally occurring biochemical compound resulting from the genetic expression or metabolism of biological or genetic resources, even if it does not contain functional units of heredity.

Some examples are: RNA, proteins (including enzymes), lipids, organic compounds (e.g. essential oils or resins) and other products of metabolism.

Also check our FAQs section on it.

In this regard, you have obligations in the EU if the country where the material comes from was a Party to the Nagoya Protocol and had ABS regulations at the time of access.

Why is ABS important?

Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) measures ensure that research results support provider countries to:

  • Make informed decisions on conservation, sustainable use and management of their biodiversity.
  • Implement innovative solutions for productive activities, contributing to sustainable development.
  • Build capacities for national research.
  • Other benefits as agreed.

Even if ABS does not apply to your research project, you must be able to provide the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation with the documentation that supports your conclusion. This will speed up possible compliance checks. Tip! save email correspondence with the provider country authorities on this regard.

For some countries, this can be determined by checking the date of entry into force of the national ABS legislation and compare it with when the material was collected in the field.  If you collected before the legislation went into force, you could be out of scope. However, in some countries “access” can also mean receiving material from an ex-situ collection or even when you start to use it (even if it was collected and left the provider country long ago). Keep this in mind!

Some laws only cover certain types of organisms or organisms collected in certain areas.

Check when:

  • you collect material outside of Germany
  • a collaborator gives you material from another country
  • you get material from a collection in Germany
  • you buy material from a shop or a company
  • traditional knowledge from indigenous peoples or local communities will be used for your research