Digital Sequence Information (DSI) broadly refers to genetic sequence data and potentially other linked data, like protein sequence data. It has emerged from negotiations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and other international policy fora.

The Science Policy & Internationalisation department conducts several projects related to DSI and is part of the DSI Scientific Network to give the scientific community a voice on this topic.

Read here to learn more about DSI.

Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) is a framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

The convention established three goals:

1) The conservation of biological diversity;

2) The sustainable use of its components;

3) The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.

ABS relates to the third goal. The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity is the international agreement which aims to address this issue and entered into force on 12 October 2014.

Our team helps researchers with questions regarding ABS compliance and provides resources like The German Nagoya Protocol HuB.

Learn more about the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Nagoya protocol and Due Diligence in the EU.

The issues of DSI and ABS are also discussed and negotiated in other fora:

• The WHO Pandemic Agreement
• The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
• The Agreement on Marine Biodiversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction

The team also follows and engages with these negotiations.

The DSI Scientific Network is a group of international researchers coming together to give the scientific community a voice on the topic of DSI.

Together we advocate for a solution, which balances the value of open access for researchers with the importance of benefit sharing.