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H2020 and the Nagoya Protocol - New Developments on Participant Portal

On 4 August 2017, a new release of the Participant Portal Grant Management Service (PPGMS) has implemented the Nagoya Protocol for on-going and future Horizon 2020 projects. Practical guidance for recipients of EU research funding has been made available on the Participant Portal under the Ethics section of the H2020 Online Manual. It helps researchers decide if their projects have obligations under the EU Regulation on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) and, if so, how to comply with them.The European Commission will also inform individually all coordinators of on-going grants about the details of this IT implementation and the possible obligations under the EU ABS Regulation.
Mikalsen, Theresa
Published: 14.08.17 00:00 Updated: 14.08.17 14:15

Horizon 2020 and the Nagoya Protocol

The Nagoya Protocol is implemented in the EU through Regulation 511/2014 on access to genetic resources and benefit sharing (ABS Regulation). This regulation creates certain obligations for recipients of EU research funding, and for the Commission as a research funder, if the project utilises genetic resources or traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources. The Commission must request beneficiaries to make a declaration of due diligence if the research involves the utilisation of genetic resources and traditional knowledge associated with it.

Nagoya Protocol in Practice

  • Every coordinator of a Horizon 2020 project will receive an automatically generated message informing them of the possible obligations and asking them to assess if their project is within the scope of the ABS Regulation. If yes, the coordinator must report this online through the Grant Management Service. If not, no action is needed;
  • This message is sent at the start of the project. For all on-going projects, it will be sent when the next version of PPGMS is released;
  • In case a coordinator reports that their project is in scope, they will receive a second message, asking them to exercise due diligence and formally requesting them to submit a due diligence declaration to the competent authority in their Member State.

New 'ABS Regulation' Tab

A new tab called 'ABS Regulation' is now available in the continuous reporting module of all Horizon 2020 projects:

  • A single tick box allows the coordinator contact person (CoCo) to report that their project is in scope of the ABS Regulation;
  • The IT system does not enforce an input. The default is not ticked (= not in scope);
  • The CoCo can tick the box at any time. This triggers an on-screen message and a second message, both of which constitute a formal request to submit a due diligence declaration as required under the regulation. The CoCo is always referred to the Online Manual for details;
  • The CoCo can un-tick the box at any time (e.g., to correct an error or if the project stops being in scope).
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