AnaEE-ERIC’s 2nd International Science Conference brings together researchers and policymakers to tackle critical ecosystem challenges through 7 thematic sessions featuring distinguished speakers listed below. The conference spans experimental approaches to global change ecology, forest and agricultural resilience, aquatic-terrestrial interactions, and innovative data integration methods.
Webinar – Navigating the regulatory complexity of microbial interventions for climate change mitigation
July 22 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
MICROBES 4 CLIMATE (M4C) is a Horizon Europe project that aims to deepen the comprehension of the complex relationships among microorganisms, plants, and soil within the framework of climate change. One of its work packages seeks to liaise with stakeholders and other EU projects to help navigate the regulatory environment for microbials.
The need for biologicals to replace chemicals for use in agriculture or for climate change mitigation is widely accepted. But, if you are a researcher or company, and you are developing nature-based solutions such as microbial interventions for eventual application in the field, you will undoubtedly ask, “How do I register my product?”
Depending on which jurisdiction you are intending to apply your solution, you will face the challenge of negotiating quite a complex and costly regulatory process before you get permission to release your mitigation solution.
Defining what is in your product may be easy, but the label in terms of what it does may be more difficult to define; for example it may be a biopesticide, bioadjuvant, biofertilizer, or biostimulant. It may be easier to register under a different term in different regions of the world just to enable its released.
Other questions that may be asked include: are the microbial components indigenous? Are they genetically modified? How do we manage biorisk and impacts on the environment? Are there potential risks to human and animal health? Further, should I deposit my samples in a microbial culture collection or microbiome biobank?
In this webinar, experts from the US and EU will provide an overview of requirements and insights into how these apply in their regions. There will be an opportunity to ask questions, and feedback will be used to help make the process more transparent for researchers, so that they can have a full appreciation of what may be required at the very start of the development of a microbial solution to mitigate climate change.