A new joint project coordinated by the University of Bayreuth will systematically address the legal, social and ethical issues surrounding new genomic technologies (NGT) in plant breeding.
As new genomic technologies and methods, such as CRISPR/Cas, are developed, new procedures and policies are required to ensure that science complies with legal, ethical, and social standards. This is especially true for the agricultural and climate sectors, which continue to grow as they respond to the need for faster responses to changing pressures and increasing demand.
ALIGN (Advancing Legal, Innovation and Governance Networks for NGT in Plants) will develop governance from and for a multidisciplinary audience of policy makers and stakeholders from an industry and public perspective over a three-year period.
Part of a 1 million euro fund
Funded by the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space, the University of Bayreuth was allocated €485,000 of the total funding as part of the funding program “Ethical, legal and social aspects of future-oriented topics in modern life sciences”.
Other partners in the ALIGN consortium include the Julius Kuhn Institute, the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety, and the LMU Munich Institute for Technology, Theology and Natural Sciences.
“New genomic technologies raise complex issues, from labeling and liability to societal expectations,” says Professor Kai Prunhagen, Head of the Department of Food Law at the University of Bayreuth and ALIGN project leader.
“At ALIGN, we aim to use an evidence-based approach to ensure that regulation and innovation work together, rather than against each other, to contribute to sustainable and socially acceptable plant breeding.”
University of Bayreuth becomes the center of ALIGN’s activities
The University of Bayreuth will be responsible for the overall coordination of the consortium, including operational management, financial management and communication with funding bodies.
We have also established the ALIGN Knowledge Hub as a central platform for internal collaboration and external scientific communication. In addition, Bayreuth University develops a podcast series, organizes stakeholder events and produces final reports for stakeholders.
In terms of content, the Bayreuth team is responsible for legal analysis on labeling and traceability, liability issues, coexistence and property rights. The University also coordinates international transnational discourse research and is closely involved in the consortium’s legal and socio-economic research.
The project is scheduled to run from April 2026 to March 2029.
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