Monday, 28 September 2026 | 10:00–13:00 CEST
Online – free and open to all
Join the first NEXTMARINE webinar, “From sampling to sharing: Legal rules for marine biodiversity”, for an in-depth exploration of the regulations, agreements and compliance requirements that shape marine biodiversity research and innovation.
Collecting a sample from the deep sea is only the beginning. Between the moment a marine organism is sampled and the moment its genetic data is shared or commercialised sits a dense framework of international law: the Nagoya Protocol, the EU Access and Benefit-Sharing Regulation, the BBNJ Agreement, material transfer agreements and FAIR data obligations. This webinar unpacks that framework for researchers working in extreme marine environments.
Bringing together experts from academia, research infrastructures, legal practice and Horizon Europe projects, the event features contributions from NEXTMARINE, EXPLORA, XTREAM and EXTREMOLIFE, offering practical insights into the challenges and opportunities of conducting compliant and responsible marine biodiversity research.
Agenda
- Overview of the projects and sampling areas – Assoc. Prof. Ioannis Pavlidis (NEXTMARINE), Antonio Garcia-Moyano (XTREAM), Dr Ana Mencher (EXPLORA), Lavinia Plataroti (EXTREMOLIFE)
- Nagoya Protocol / ABS: current state, EU regulation and national legislations regarding the utilization of marine genetic resources, user obligations – Dr Jan Dierking
- Global Biodiversity Framework and related special regimes: digital sequence information on genetic resources and the BBNJ Agreement – Dr Paraskevi Polymenakou
- Sampling, transfer of samples, MTAs: consortium agreements, bilateral MTAs, and when a Grant Agreement is not enough – Katerina Papadopoulou, PhD
- Data governance and FAIR principles: metadata, repositories, access conditions, and reuse – Ioannis Rallis, M.Sc.
- Exploitation of results in sensitive international contexts: downstream use, patents, commercialization, and compliance risks – Katerina Papadopoulou, PhD
Speakers
- Dr Jan Dierking – Scientist, Nagoya Protocol Coordinator, Export Control and Customs Unit, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany
- Dr Paraskevi N. Polymenakou – Research Director, Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (IMBBC-HCMR), Greece
- Dr Katerina Papadopoulou – Attorney at law, adjunct lecturer at the Hellenic Open University, Technology Transfer Office, University of Patras, Greece
- Ioannis Rallis, M.Sc. – Marine Biologist, Data Manager, Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), Greece
- Assoc. Prof. Ioannis Pavlidis – Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, Greece – NEXTMARINE Coordinator
- Dr Ana Mencher – R&D Project Manager, Industrial & Environmental Biotechnology Area, ITENE, Spain (EXPLORA)
- Antonio Garcia-Moyano – Senior Researcher, NORCE, Norway (XTREAM)
- Lavinia Plataroti – Chief Operational Officer, MEAL Specialist, Algreen B.V., the Netherlands (EXTREMOLIFE)
How to join
The webinar is held online and is free to attend. Click here to join the meeting on Monday 28 September 2026 at 10:00 CEST.