Project Genetic Engineering and the Environment Germany
└ Fachstelle Gentechnik Umwelt (FGU)
The Horizon Scanning Biotechnology project is part of our Project Genetic Engineering and the Environment (Fachstelle Gentechnik und Umwelt, FGU), focussing primarily on researching new scientific publications in relevant fields of biotechnology.
The discovery and application of the CRISPR/Cas transformation technique represented a technical breakthrough for biotechnology. At the same time, the expansion of automation in laboratories, the growing stock of sequence information and ever easier synthesis of genomes are leading to the development of more and qualitatively novel genetically modified organisms will. New methods and approaches entail new challenges for assessment concepts if products developed with them are to be approved for the market and released into the environment.
The Department of Genetic Engineering and Environment carries out horizon scanning, i.e. research and evaluation of published and other specialist literature. In this way, possible environmental impacts of new technical developments and their applications in the field of genetic engineering/biotechnology are to be identified at an early stage and then also analyzed, with special consideration of the precautionary principle.
Furthermore, the department also researches the social and political discourses and evaluation categories for methods of genome editing and synthetic biology in and outside of Europe and compares them with each other.
The results of this horizon scanning are intended to serve as an information basis for authorities and science on the one hand and, on the other hand, to be processed and made available in a way that is appropriate for the public and political discourse and for civil society.
A project-accompanying working group (PAG) advises the department in its work. It includes civil society organizations and environmental associations that deal with the consequences of genetic engineering and biotechnology for agricultural systems, seed and food production, environmental protection and nature conservation, as well as scientists from the fields of environment and genetic engineering. The PAG acts as an input provider. The scientific investigation of the questions is carried out by the specialist department. The results will be published in peer-reviewed journals.
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