NAGOYA Protocol: Universities at the Heart of ABS Initiatives
The University of Montpellier implements regulations governing access to genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as well as the sharing of benefits arising from their use (ABS), in the context of research and development activities.
© Patrick Aventurier
Compliance with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), preventing biopiracy, and, above all, committing to best practices in cooperation and benefit-sharing with all our partners are strategic priorities for our institution. Our approach is rooted in responsible research practices and administrative streamlining to ensure implementation as close to the field as possible.
Since 2018, the UM has launched several initiatives internally and with its partners:
- Establishment of an APA unit within the institution, including the appointment of a scientific coordinator and an administrative coordinator for APA, as well as an internal committee bringing together all the expertise available within the UM’s departments
- Establishment of an inter-institutional committee with the partners of the I-site MUSE (UM, CNRS, INRA, IRD, CIRAD, MSA, IFREMER) to facilitate networking, share information, and harmonize the internal procedures that will be in place across the research units.
- Gaining expertise through participation in training sessions and networking: a training session with the FRB and the national parks; a working meeting on collections with the MNHN.
- Organization of awareness-raising initiatives: “First Steps in APA” conference in partnership with the FRB.
The internal procedure is available on the UM’s digital campus platform and is currently being tested in collaboration with a few pilot research units.