Marine biotechnology: RRI, Convention of Biological Diversity, Nagoya protocol, Access and Benefit sharing Clearing house

Blue Biotechnology (BB) is a multidisciplinary, knowledge- and capital-intensive technological area that significantly contributes to innovations in the pharmaceutical, medical, cosmeceutical, nutraceutical, aquacultural, agricultural, and energy sectors. The BB sector in Europe includes non-traditionally commercially exploited marine organisms and their biomass applications. Seaweeds are identified as one of the more valuable sources of structurally diverse bioactive compounds among the marine organisms, and their utilization would support society to gain various health benefits. As the quest for such marine-derived compounds with pharmacological and biotechnological potential upsurges, the importance of following regulations and applying Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) principles also increases. This presentation aims at: 1) presenting important regulations and policies that apply to the BB sector at the international and EU level while demonstrating their variability in their implementation; 2) highlighting the importance of the application of the RRI principles in biodiscovery, and 3) identifying gaps and providing recommendations on how to improve market acceptability and compliance of novel BB compounds with guidelines on ethical and benefit-sharing of genetic resources. Three qualitative surveys were conducted under the Working Group 4 “Legal aspects, IPR and Ethics” of the COST Action CA18238 Ocean4Biotech, a network of more than 140 Marine Biotechnology scientists and practitioners from 37 countries. These surveys (“Understanding of the Responsible Research and Innovation concept”, “Application of the Nagoya Protocol in Your Research'', and “Brief Survey about the experiences regarding the Nagoya Protocol'') indicate awareness and application gaps of RRI, the Nagoya Protocol, and the current status of EU policies relating to BB sector1. The results of the qualitative survey conducted at the 2ndMC meeting of the CA20106 consortium will specifically adress the level of awareness and implementation of the RRI, the Nagoya Protocol and Access, Benefit-sharing (ABS) legislation in the Ulva biotechnology community. The Presentation will then categorise the identified gaps into five main categories (awareness, understanding, education, implementation, and enforcement of the Nagoya Protocol) and provide recommendations for mitigating them at the European, National, and organisational levels. 1.Marine Drugs | Free Full-Text | Responsible Research and Innovation Framework, the Nagoya Protocol and Other European Blue Biotechnology Strategies and Regulations: Gaps Analysis and Recommendations for Increased Knowledge in the Marine Biotechnology Community (mdpi.com)