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The interdisciplinary collaborative project ALIGN will establish a research framework to systematically address the legal, ethical and societal issues surrounding new genomic techniques (NGT) in plant breeding. The University of Bayreuth is responsible for the overall coordination of the project, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space.
New genomic technologies such as CRISPR/Cas offer significant opportunities for sustainable agriculture, climate adaptation and food security. At the same time, there is a considerable need for clarification in Europe from a legal, ethical and societal perspective. This is where ALIGN (Advancing Legal, Innovative, and Governance Networks for NGTs in Plants) comes in: Over a three-year period, this interdisciplinary research consortium will develop governance options designed to provide guidance to policymakers, public administration, and stakeholders from industry and civil society.
The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) as part of the funding programme ‘Ethical, legal and social aspects of future-oriented topics in the modern life sciences’. The total funding for the consortium amounts to over one million euros, of which around 485,000 euros is allocated to the University of Bayreuth. Partners in the consortium are the Julius Kühn Institute, the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety, and the Institute for Technology, Theology and Natural Sciences at LMU Munich.
University of Bayreuth plays key role
The University of Bayreuth is responsible for the overall coordination of the consortium, including administrative management, financial management and communication with the funding body. It is also establishing the ALIGN Knowledge Hub as a central platform for internal cooperation and external scientific communication. In addition, the University of Bayreuth is developing a podcast series, organising stakeholder events and producing a final stakeholder report.
In terms of content, the Bayreuth team is responsible for legal analyses on labelling and traceability, liability issues, coexistence and property rights. The University is also coordinating an international cross-national discourse study and is closely involved in the consortium’s legal and socio-economic research.
“New genomic techniques raise complex questions – ranging from labelling and liability to societal expectations,” says Prof. Dr. Kai Purnhagen, Chair of Food Law and ALIGN project leader at the University of Bayreuth.
“With ALIGN, we aim to use evidence-based approaches to ensure that regulation and innovation are not pitted against one another, but instead work together to contribute to sustainable and socially accepted plant breeding.”
The project is expected to run from April 2026 to March 2029.
Prof. Dr. Kai Purnhagen
Chair of Food Law
Phone: +49 (0)921 / 55-1020
E-mail: kai.purnhagen@uni-bayreuth.de
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