Follow us on X
Follow us on LinkedIn
Follow us on Youtube
Discover RISE d.o.o

Successful Workshop on IP Protection and Regulatory Aspects for Crops

Workshop on Genetic Resources attracted more than 100 international researchers and berry breeders. - On the 15th of March 2023, more than 100 researchers and breeders from across Europe and beyond, gathered online and in presence at the University of Applied Sciences, HTW Dresden Campus Pillnitz in Dresden, Germany. The workshop on genetic resources ran under the title “Pre-breeding materials: a grey zone between Genetic Resources and Cultivars, Introduction on regulatory aspects and protection of Intellectual Property.”

The workshop was organised by Eurice in collaboration with Marche Polytechnic University in Italy and the Julius Kühn-Institute in Germany, within the framework of the EU-funded project BreedingValue, which focuses on pre-breeding strategies for obtaining new resilient and added value berries.

Gisela Quaglia from the EC Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development gave a clear overview of the funding strategy on genetic resources and breeding. Under Horizon 2020, the EC invested a total of 189M€ in 33 R&I projects. One of the main objectives is to improve conservation, management and use of genetic resources, in order to broaden the genetic base of cultivated crops and halt the loss of genetic diversity. Pre-breeding material is of utmost importance, thereby building a bridge between available genetic resources and crop improvement.

Major European and international organisations in the field of Genetic Resources introduced the legal regulatory framework given by the Convention on Biological Diversity and its implementing instrument, the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing, as well as the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Marco Marsella from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations guided the workshop participants through the online platform Easy-SMTA, and showed how it allows users to easily generate online the Standard Material Transfer Agreements for the transfer of seeds and plant material. Furthermore, the workshop put a spotlight on protection of Intellectual Property, in particular Plant Variety Rights. Urszula Braun-Mlodecka presented the regulation and evaluation system coordinated by the EU Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) with a focus on berries. The two sister projects funded under the same topic as BreedingValue, HARNESSTOM and GEN4OLIVE, gave insights into their research work and approach to Intellectual Property Management.

Last but not least, Léna Prochnow, Senior Research and Innovation Manager at Eurice, presented a detailed analysis of the berry varieties and active applications currently available in the CPVO database. The presentation showed clearly the trends and differences between the three BreedingValue crops strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.

"The workshop was a great opportunity to bring major actors together covering a broad spectrum from the theory behind international regulatory framework to practical insights from ongoing initiatives in the field,” says Léna Prochnow. "We were happy to welcome partners from five out of the six European projects funded under the call "Genetic resources and pre-breeding communities" and create this unique opportunity to share project results".

For more information on the BreedingValue project please visit the project website.

For more information about EURICE expertise in IP please contact the European IP Helpdesk.

Workshop participants
Workshop participants
Léna Prochnow presenting on GenRes IP
Léna Prochnow presenting on GenRes IP
About Eurice

Eurice offers knowledge-based consultancy services in project and innovation management.

Eurice Head Office
Heinrich-Hertz-Allee 1
66386 St. Ingbert
Germany
Phone: +49 6894 388130
Email
Eurice Berlin
Alt-Reinickendorf 25
13407 Berlin
Germany
Phone: +49 30 374415840
Email