Episode II of our brand new
Legal Workshop Series:
Don’t panic!
A Survival Guide for Law and Ethics in Research
When: 07.05.25 | 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Where: online, please register below for free
What:
Do you work with non-human biological material or genetic digital data? If so, you need to understand the basics of the Nagoya Protocol and your obligations as a researcher in the European Union.
Benefits arising use of genetic resources – whether for commercial or non-commercial purposes – must be shared with the countries where these materials come from. This is the principle of Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS), governed by the Nagoya Protocol. But there is more, ongoing international negotiations on Digital Sequence Information (DSI), which broadly refers to genetic sequence data and other related digital data (RNA, proteins), are shaping new rules for benefit-sharing. Users of this kind of digital data must be aware.
But what exactly does this mean for you in practice?
In this workshop, we will break down the key legal aspects and practicalities of the Nagoya Protocol and the EU ABS Regulation. We will clarify which regulations apply, what are your legal obligation in the EU, and the consequences of non-compliance. We will also explore practical case studies, and look at current global policy developments on benefit-sharing from DSI. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to get your specific legal questions answered by experienced experts.
Who:
Amber Hartman Scholz, Ph.D.
Amber is a microbiologist and Head of the Science Policy & Internationalization Department at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ in Braunschweig, Germany. She is the principal investigator on a number of international science policy projects and focuses particularly on access and benefit sharing, digital sequence information, and pathogen data-sharing. She led the DSMZ’s implementation of its Registered Collection status under the EU’s Nagoya Protocol regulation (511/2014) and co-founded both the DSI Scientific Network and German Nagoya Protocol Hub. She held previous science policy posts in the US Federal and California state governments including at the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy.
Melania Muñoz-García M.Sc.
Melania is a biologist with 11 years of experience in the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol as the former ABS National Focal Point from Costa Rica. She currently manages the German Nagoya Protocol Hub (GNP-HuB), supporting researchers navigate ABS legal obligations. She coordinates the GNP-HuB Network and actively contributes with the ABS Compliance Officers Network in Germany. She has been engaged in DSI negotiations since COP13 in Cancún, first as a Costa Rican delegate and then as a member of the DSI Scientific Network. Her expertise bridges science and policy, fostering compliance and understanding of ABS frameworks.
For whom: Researchers from agricultural, biodiversity and earth system research
Language: English