ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the United States NIH as an organisation involved in early-stage, basic (non-commercial) research addressing ABS and the common perception that ‘benefits’ accrue from commercial exploitation of samples or knowledge derived from them. Despite this, the chapter shows that the NIH has been in the forefront of developing sustainable collaborations in countries where it carries out research based on long-term relationships and capacity building. The chapter concludes that the NIH’s experience demonstrates that it is possible to conduct international research, if it is done in a way that is equitable and incorporates training and capacity building as core components, and that successes all build on long-term relationships that take time and funding to realise. There remain, however, unresolved fault lines in the CBD, and a requirement for more engagement by scientists in the CBD discussions and a rethink of the CBD’s objectives.
