Policy Briefing: from access to use—untangling the international legal frameworks that govern microbial resources
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The wide geographic distribution of microorganisms, combined with their vast taxonomic and functional diversity, make them indispensable reservoirs of genetic variation that sustain ecosystem resilience and fuel biotechnological innovation. However, to use this diversity, microbiologists must navigate a complex legal and regulatory landscape governed by multiple United Nations treaties and their respective access and benefit-sharing frameworks as well as regulatory frameworks specific to particular ecosystems, biosecurity, pathogens, and intellectual property. This complex regulatory web is also actively growing and changing, which makes it immensely challenging for a "regular" microbiologist to navigate. For policymakers and negotiators, it is also difficult to appreciate the full complexity that practitioners experience. This policy briefing provides a concise regulatory guide for practitioners and policymakers alike, summarized in a graphical overview, to provide more clarity and understanding for those at the edge of decision-making and practice.
Source: Sustainable Microbiology
Authors: Davide Faggionato, Melania Muñoz-García, Tanja Kostic, Mariana L Ferrari, Pascale Vonaesch, Mathilde Poyet, Perrine Portier, Matthew J Ryan, Djamila Djeddour, Cornelia Stumptner, Giovanna Cristina Varese, Aurora Zuzuarregui, Mathieu Groussin, Michael Schloter, Robert D Finn, Aylin S Haas, Ian Probert, Gerard Verkley, Jörg Overmann, Amber H Scholz
Institutions: Leibniz Institute DSMZ – German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, University of Lausanne, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, Institut de Recherche en Horticulture et Semences, Université d'Angers, CAB International, Medical University of Graz, University of Turin, Universitat de València, Parc Científic de la Universitat de València, Helmholtz Munich, European Bioinformatics Institute, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Sorbonne Université, Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute
Language: English
Subfield: Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,901
Funders: National Science Foundation, California Department of Fish and Game, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, European Commission, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, H2020 European Research Council, NextGenerationEU
Awards: G128427616, European Viral Outbreak Response Alliance, G165400314, Strain-level adaptation as a risk and opportunity for nutrition-related disorders (NutAdapt), MICRObiome Biobanking (RI) Enabler, G564174955, SFB 1182: Entstehen und Funktionieren von Metaorganismen, G6796458524, G7130079164, G7273217118, G7314894340, G7667688360, NCCR Microbiomes: Microbial communities in health and environment, G8329042570, Microbial services addressing climate change risks for biodiversity and for agricultural and forestry ecosystems: enabling curiosity-driven research and advancing frontier knowledge
OpenAlex ID: W7130436405