Our missions, our goal

In ABS, as in all fields, IRD tolerates no exceptions. Both in France and abroad, IRD staff and those hosted within its facilities must comply with the local, national and international laws and regulations in force. The Nagoya Protocol has been incorporated into European regulations and the French law for the reconquest of biodiversity, nature and landscapes. Each country has laws that govern access to their genetic resources and associated knowledge. (https://absch.cbd.int/countries)

Scientists and their superiors who fail to comply with the regulations risk criminal and financial sanctions and penalties in terms of the academic and non-academic exploitation of results, partnerships and reputation.

By placing justice and equity at the heart of its objectives, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) establishes a strong ethical dimension like no other in international agreements on the environment. It promotes an equal relationship between users and providers of genetic resources, that is formalised by Prior Informed Consent (PIC) and Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT). This corresponds closely with IRD’s guiding ambition of equitable partnership. The implementation of ABS should be seen as a new opportunity to develop equitable research partnerships that are grounded in co-construction, accountability and transparency and acknowledge the rights and duties of all the actors involved.

Compliance with the spirit of ABS allows IRD to take informed action whenever decisions are required, since the regulations leave room for interpretation. It encourages a benefit-sharing approach even when the use of resources is outside of the biological (depending on the definition of the genetic resource) or temporal (depending on the date) scope of the regulations. It also informs the Institute’s intellectual property policy.

To encourage compliance with the letter and spirit of ABS, IRD:

• Makes it a priority to encourage awareness and train its staff in ABS. Annual collective training has been organised since 2016.
• Develops in-house procedures and good practices to make staff aware of their responsibilities.
• Includes ABS clauses in all its research agreements signed with partners, including UMRs.
• Accords a crucial role to its representatives in overseas France and abroad, in particular through dialogue with the competent local and national authorities in order to be as close as possible to the realities of the field and facilitate information sharing by geographical area.
• Created the IRD Nagoya Committee. The committee is composed of researchers and members of the legal, promotion and international relations departments. It supports researchers and IRD’s different units in all matters concerning ABS and offers operational solutions to allow research projects to be carried out in compliance with ABS.
• Maintains dialogue with other French higher education and research institutions to harmonise internal procedures, with the relevant French ministries to share feedback, and with the competent authorities of partner countries to facilitate ABS processes and integrate them into other existing processes.

Through ABS, the CBD and Nagoya Protocol aim to promote the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. They provide a legal framework for users of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge. They aim to encourage the use of genetic resources and the sharing of benefits with the providers who, through the recognition of their rights and their participation in the research process, are ultimately incentivised to preserve biodiversity. 

Although the implementation of ABS is still recent, we must examine its effectiveness and effects. On a global scale, the shared monetary advantages appear to be small. On the other hand, the expectations of local and indigenous populations with regard to their recognition are high. The users of genetic resources are aware of benefit-sharing but are sometimes hindered on a national level by the lack of enforcement mechanisms or the complexity of ABS regulations.

Researchers in particular are worried. In the era of big data and open science, is there a risk that ABS procedures may hamper the development of partnerships and knowledge? IRD is fully aware of these concerns. It is also attentive to the standpoints of Southern countries and civil society organisations who voice their concerns during international negotiations (CBD; ITPGRFA) and for whom ABS is a crucial ethical and economical issue and a prerequisite for joining international biodiversity protection conventions. 

This does not mean that there are contradictions. The preservation of biological diversity is central to many research programmes. IRD is committed to ensuring that ABS helps achieve this objective. To this end, it has put in place numerous avenues of innovation such as encouraging the adoption of good ABS practices among its staff, developing agreements with partner countries, researching multilateral avenues to improve the effectiveness of ABS and supporting research on governance for biodiversity. 

Learn more about the Nagoya Protocol and the ABS principles

The Human Resources Excellence in Research Award is a tool to support employers in implementing charter and code principles within their institutions. This process is also called HRS4R (Human Resources Strategy for Researchers).

The granting process has the following characteristics:

• it is implemented by research institutions and funding organisations on a voluntary basis;
• it is based on internal review and respects the institution’s autonomy;
• it is a transparent approach that generates easily accessible information about the work of institutions and organisations that are involved in the implementation of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.

This process aims to initiate a process of harmonisation of internal procedures with the provisions contained in the Charter and the Code. It is comprised of the following steps:

• Signature of a commitment letter in which the organisation pledges to implement the principles outlined in the Charter and the Code;
• Gap analysis of the institution’s current practices regarding the 40 principles in the Charter and the Code;
• Creation and publication of an action plan to be implemented, on the basis of self-analysis results, with clearly defined objectives to be reached and progress markers, on the institution’s website;
• Evaluation and recognition of the HR strategy by the Commission, followed by granting by the European Commission of the HR Excellence in Research Award;
• Application of the HR strategy internally and internal review after 24 months;
• External assessment after 3 years and renewal of the award.

Many research institutions in France have been granted this award. The complete list is available on Euraxess.

The bodies that have adopted the Charter and Code have committed to improve their Human Resources (HR) practices. The goal of these texts is to make good practice, in terms of the recruitment and researcher’s working conditions, become widespread within the European Union.

For institutions that have committed to this process, it can:

• support their policy of excellence in the research field;
• contribute to their appeal, especially with foreign researchers, when looking to take them on for their research project; allow use of the HR Excellence in Research logo, which is granted by the European Commission. This can be used to identify institutions and organisations that provide and support a stimulating and favourable working environment for researchers, in keeping with the principles outlined by the Charter and the Code, on the European job portal, EURAXESS Jobs;
• implement a stimulating and favourable environment for researchers which promotes and facilitates mobility;
• comply with Article 18 of the Grant Agreement for Horizon Europe projects.

Following its commitment during the granting process, the IRD was awarded the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R) on 5 November 2019, pledging to a process of continuous improvement. European bodies ensure the continuation of the work carried out by the Institut and makes accreditation renewal conditional on the IRD maintaining a structuring and determined dynamic through regular assessments.

In order to achieve the objectives set for each of these areas, the IRD implemented in 2019 a two-year action plan (2020-2021).

In 2021, the IRD carried out an internal review concerning its implementation of HRS4R actions and subsequently deployed a revised three-year action plan. The European Commission received both documents on 5 January 2022 and praised the Institute’s efforts concerning the work environment of researchers, as well as the quality and ambition of the new action plan.

IRD granting process

• The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers
• The President of the IRD’s commitment letter
• HRS4R 2020-2021 Action Plan (EN)
• HRS4R 2022-2024 Revised Action Plan (EN)
• Feedback from European Commission
• OTM-R Policy
• Internal review

The initiative, led by COHRED, is completely voluntary. The IRD identified the RFI very early on as a lever for reflection and promotion of equity and efficiency in scientific partnerships and provided support for the construction of the conceptual framework.

The IRD has thus contributed to laying the foundations of the RFI. It is worth noting, for example, that the RFI is based on the IRD's 2015 Guide to Good Practice in Research for Development. The IRD's Comité consultatif Éthique pour la recherche en partenariat (CCERP) has been a driving force on this subject, and the IRD's proactive commitment to the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol was a natural part of this approach. IRD and COHRED also have in common that they are both converging towards Sustainable Development Goal 17 "Strengthen the capacity to implement and revitalise the Global Partnership for Development".

The IRD is also the first French research institution to sign up to this approach. For the Institute, this was an obvious choice, both in view of its long-standing commitment to these issues and its vocation to enable the entire French higher education and research sector to embody a model of equitable scientific partnership.

The inventory of current practices was drawn up on the basis of about 50 interviews with people in key positions or roles (in support services, research units, delegations, representations) using the questions in the drafting guide provided by COHRED. This inventory was discussed and commented in collective workshops bringing together scientists and support staff in each IRD regional delegation.

The measures to be taken to consolidate or complete the existing system were identified through the same process. They were finalised with the departments or directorates in charge of the systems or guarantors of the practices at stake.

More than 80 people were mobilised to produce the IRD's contribution. In parallel, the process mobilised the opinions of various bodies, such as the Scientific Council and the CCERP, as well as the IRD's research departments. The report was validated by the IRD's governance in November 2021.

In practice, organisations wishing to contribute must write a codified report by filling in indicators determined during global consultations organised by COHRED, bringing together various actors in the research sector (including IRD). These indicators are listed in a writing guide provided by COHRED. The reports are produced every two years. The elements of the report are public so that each institution can learn from the practices of the reporting institutions.

The IRD report shows :

• a strong political commitment, solid and complete tools and mechanisms, integrated and evolving action, a high level of formalisation of mechanisms and practices,
• a decisive presence in the field,
• a very complete system to support ethics, deontology, scientific integrity and mediation,
• the very active support system for innovation in the South,
• the European HRS4R label,
• the HR mission in the South,
• partnership and skill-building schemes in the South,
• pro-activity on all the regulations in favour of biodiversity and the ownership of data and results, and the mechanisms to support innovation in the South.

The priorities for consolidating the system identified refer to the major projects underway at the IRD (2021-2025), such as the implementation of various new roadmaps linked to the new challenges to be met:

• Open science,
• Science for sustainability,
• Gender equality,
• the fight against corruption,
• social responsibility,
• developing a culture of impact (risks, spillovers),
• strengthening ethics,
• formalising evaluation criteria and practices.

The implementation of the planned actions will be monitored by the MEPR and will result in a new report at the end of 2023.

> IRD - Research Fairness Initiative Report (EN)

> To comment on the report, please contact : contact.rfi@ird.fr

> The COHRED Certification :