On 30 March 2026 our partner Federico Caruso and Valentina Predazzi of SIB Società Italiana Brevetti are to hold a lecture on the topic “Updates on the evolution of the regulatory framework of the NGT reform in Europe” at the Centro di Sperimentazione Laimburg, a research hub for agriculture and food processing in Alto Adige. The event is organized in collaboration with the Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences of the University of Bolzano.

Federico and Valentina will offer an integrated reading of the new European Regulation on New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) in light of the political agreement reached in December 2025, and of the concrete implications for the plant breeding sector. An analysis of the distinction between Category 1 and Category 2 NGTs will follow.

Alongside the regulatory dimension, the session will delve into intellectual property aspects.

The European Commission’s monitoring mechanisms and existing tools (mandatory licenses, exemptions for farm-saved seeds, patent clearinghouses) will also be examined, highlighting the delicate balance between protection of the invention, access to biological material and competition in the seed market.