Science Policy & Internationalisation

Head of Department: Dr. Amber Hartman Scholz

Translating DSMZ science for policymakers

As a large biological resource center, the DSMZ receives deposits into the collection from dozens of countries, sends biological material out to nearly a hundred countries, and many of our on-going research projects involve international collaborations. As a leading research infrastructure in Europe, we work to ensure compliance with international legal frameworks that govern use and transfer of biological material (genetic resources), in particular, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its Nagoya Protocol, under which the DSMZ became the first registered collection under Regulation (EU) No 511/2014.

The Department of Science Policy & Internationalisation:

  1. Conducts academic research tailored to address open questions in national and international policymaking with a particular emphasis on fair and equitable benefit-sharing.
  2. Brings scientific results and empirical evidence from (micro)biological diversity into the policy arena.
  3. Provides in-house expertise on scientific strategy, policy, ethics and management.
  4. Connects scientific networks and biodiversity-focused organizations with policy actors and vice versa.
  5. Faciliates access to microbial resources for scientific users and fairness and equity for providing countries.

Dr. Amber Hartman Scholz

Head of the Department Science Policy and Internationalisation