About the Genomic Policy Guidance Tool
The Genomic Policy Guidance Tool is an interactive online resource developed under the Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE) project. Its aim is to help researchers and institutions working in biodiversity genomic and DNA barcoding navigate and comply with relevant EU-level policies and community best practices.
Why this tool?
Biodiversity genomic research and DNA barcoding often intersect complex and evolving regulations from Access and Benefit sharing, GDPR, Conservation laws, ethical standards, data governance frameworks and import/export controls. Non-compliance with these requirements can result in serious consequences such as legal penalties, data restrictions, or project delays.
The BGE project brings together major initiatives like ERGA and Bioscan Europe, which are developing new protocols and methodologies to make genomic and DNA barcoding research more technically robust, ethically sound, and legally compliant, while enhancing its EU and global relevance and efficiency. These protocols aim to streamline genomic research and foster interoperability across institutions and countries. However, implementing these protocols in practice can be challenging, especially when researchers are uncertain about which legal and ethical requirements apply, or how to integrate them into everyday research workflows.
That's where the Genomic Policy Guidance Tool comes in.
This tool provides a clear, simplified navigation through this complex regulatory landscape by translating policy requirements into step-by-step guidance linked to specific genomic activities.
It addresses these challenges by:
Organising policy guidance into structured policy areas and components, each with clear explanations;
Linking policies directly to genomic activities, so users can easily see what's relevant to their work:
Providing step-by-step checkpoints to support understanding, awareness, and compliance
Who is it for?
This tool is designed for:
Researchers and project leaders in biodiversity genomic research
Policy officers and research institutions
DNA resource managers and curators
Anyone working with genetic data, specimen collection or associated infrastructures
What you can do with the tool
1. Navigate Policy Requirements
The tool offers two ways to explore policy requirements:
By Genomic Activity: Start by selecting a genomic activity you are engaged in (e.g., Terrestrial and fresh waters sampling). The tool will present an expandable list of policy areas, such as Protection of natural assets, which are further subdivided into policy components. Each policy component contains check-points that will help you navigate that certain policy and understand what it requires.
By Policy Area: You can browse the policy section directly. Here, policies are structured by policy areas and further broken down into policy components each with clear definitions. You can see how they map to common genomic activities.
2. Evaluate Institutional Alignment
Use the interactive evaluation tool to see how your institution's internal policies align with EU-level legal and ethical requirements. This informal assessment highlights areas of strength, potential gaps and opportunities for improvement, supporting better institutional governance and compliance planning.
3. Browse the Resources page
The Resources Page is a searchable, growing table of curated external materials to help you understand and apply policy requirements in biodiversity genomics. You can find key resources on EU and international policies, best practice guidelines and templates, codes of conduct, training materials and tools. Each entry includes a brief description, source, and direct link, making it easy to access trusted, relevant resources quickly.
Governance & Maintenance
The maintenance of this policy tool is coordinated by CETAF General Secretariat and supported by a small team of experts for the CETAF community to ensure that it is fully functional at all times and to ensure that the policy content is up to date and accurate.
The content of the tool is reviewed every six months.
Credits and Acknowledgements
This tool was developed under the Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE) project, funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme Grant Agreement No. 101050492.
Key contributers
Tool coordination, concept and content design: Led by CETAF (Laura Tilley) & supported by BGE work package 14 partners.
Technical development: Flaire B.V..
Expert review and input: Social Innovation team (SIT), which is an independent advisory group of experts that was assembled for BGE to support and provide advice on policy compliance in the project and to support the task in developing this tool.
Special thanks to all researchers, policy officers, and project work package leaders who contributed feedback, use cases, and expert reviews during the development process.
Terms and conditions
Licensing and Attribution Notice
Unless otherwise stated, all original content produced by the Genomic Policy Guidance Tool is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This means you are free to use, share, adapt, and build upon our content as long as proper credit is given to the creators and the BGE project.
How to cite this tool:
Tilley, L. et al. (2025). Genomic Policy Guidance Tool. Developed under the Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE) project, funded by the EU Horizon Europe programme (Grant No. 101059492).
External Resources
The resources table includes links to external documents. These external materials are not governed by the tool's CC BY 4.0 licence. Their use may be subject to different licensing terms or copyright protections. Please consult the source website or document for specific licensing information before reusing, modifying or redistributing any third-party materials.
Disclaimer
The Genomic Policy Guidance Tool is intended for information and guidance purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, nor does it replace consultation with relevant legal, institutional, or regulatory authorities.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and currency of the content, CETAF, the BGE project, and its partners accept no legal responsibility or liability for any loss, error, or misunderstanding arising from the use of this tool or the interpretation of its content.
Users are encouraged to verify all policy requirements with the appropriate national authorities, legal advisors, or institutional policy officers.
