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  • GNP HuB
    • About
    • Network
    • Library
    • Podcasts
    • Help Desk
    • 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

Who can I contact at my institution?

A number of institutions in Germany have information on their websites about the Nagoya Protocol and have dedicated Compliance Officers or other staff who can help you with ABS.

Find the relevant person at your institution in the list below.

  • Alfred Wegener Institute
  • GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
  • Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
  • Julius Kühn-Institute
  • Kiel University
  • Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research
  • Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change
  • Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology
  • Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research
  • Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
  • Museum Koenig
  • Senckenberg
  • University of Bayreuth
  • University of Bonn
  • University of Bremen
  • University of Greifswald
  • University of Saarland
  • Technical University of Munich

Alfred Wegener Institute

Website:

AWI has some information about the Nagoya Protocol on its website.

 

Contact:

Rebecca Aepfler

rebecca.aepfler@awi.de

GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel

Website:

At GEOMAR, the Staff Unit Export Control & Customs coordinates all matters relating to the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol. The institute has information about the Nagoya Protocol and the necessary steps to ensure compliance with the EU ABS Regulation on the institute’s intranet.

 

Contact:

Dr. Jan Dierking

Nagoya Protocol Coordination

nagoyaprotokoll@geomar.de

Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

Website:

The University has a website with general information and further links.

 

Contact:

Nicolas Remkeit

Research contracts & Export control

nicolas-remkeit@hhu.de

Julius Kühn-Institute

Website:

The intranet page of the institute has useful information.

 

Contact:

Dr. Nadine Bernhardt

nadine.bernhardt@julius-kuehn.de

Kiel University

Website:

Kiel University has a public website with information on the Nagoya Protocol and steps to follow for compliance with the EU ABS Regulation.

 

Contact:

Dr. Annika Engelhardt

Nagoya Protocol Compliance Officer

nagoya@uv.uni-kiel.de

Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research

Website:

The Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research has collected some information on the nagoya protocol on its website.

 

Contact:

Dr. Achim Meyer

Nagoya Compliance Advisor

achim.meyer@leibniz-zmt.de

Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change

Website:

The institue offers information about the Nagoya Protocol and helpful links on its website (in German).

 

Contact:

Dirk Neumann

Collection management/ Digitalisation

d.neumann@leibniz-lib.de

Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology

Contact:

Sina Gerbach

Biological Safety Officer

 

Kerstin Voigt

Nagoya Protocol Compliance Officer

 

nagoya@leibniz-hki.de

Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research

Contact:

Myriam Schröder

Staff unit head veterinarian

schroeder@izw-berlin.de

Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior

Website:

The Max Planck Institute has useful information on its intranet page.

 

Contact:

Daniel Piechowski

Science Coordinator

dpiechowski@ab.mpg.de

Museum Koenig

Website:

The Museum’s website provides a short overview of the Nagoya Protocol and further links.

 

Contact:

Monique Hölting

Collection Manager

m.hoelting@leibniz-zfmk.de

Senckenberg

Website:

Senckenberg has useful information on its website about the Nagoya Protocol.

University of Bayreuth

Website:

Bayreuth University offers some information about the Nagoya Protocol and links to the DFG guidelines on their website.

 

Contact:

Dr. Ursula Higgins

Head – Research Support Office

ursula.higgins@uni-bayreuth.de

University of Bonn

Website:

The University website provides information in both German and English.

 

Contact:

Rüdiger Wolf

wolf@verwaltung.uni-bonn.de

 

Mirco Theiner

theiner@verwaltung.uni-bonn.de

 

Mona Baten

Baten@verwaltung.uni-bonn.de

University of Bremen

Website:

The Bremen Universität website has a section on the Nagoya Protocol. It includes links to useful websites and documents and it is available in German and English.

Contact:

Janina Bornemann

Nagoya Protocol compliance officer

nagoya@vw.uni-bremen.de

University of Greifswald

Website:

The university has a website with general information and useful links.

 

Contact:

Dr. Peter Michalik

Nagoya Protocol Compliance Officer

nagoya@uni-greifswald.de

University of Saarland

Website:

The University has a website with general information and a checklist for researchers.

 

Contact:

Dr. Melanie Hennchen

Nagoya Protocol Compliance Officer

nagoya@uni-saarland.de

Technical University of Munich

Website:

The Technical University of Munich has a website for information about the Nagoya Protocol and how to handle genetic resources at the TUM. You can also find the emails of the ABS contact persons at TUM’s schools and further useful links.

Contact:

Dr. Olga Malets, TUM ForTe

olga.malets@tum.de

The German Alliance ABS advisory platform for academic research is funded by members of the Alliance of Science Organisations. The project sponsoring members of the Alliance are the German Research Foundation (DFG), the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK), the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (HGF), the Leibniz Association, the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Max Planck Society.

 

 

 

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  • 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