Guidelines Coop

BIOPAT e.V. Guidelines on Scientific Co-operation, Sponsorhip, and Use of Funds

1. BIOPAT e.V. arranges sponsorships for newly discovered plant and animal species. In recognition of donations of € 2.600 or more, donors are given the opportunity to suggest names of their own choice for inclusion in the scientific denomination of the organisms concerned. BIOPAT's scientific partners, its Executive Committee, and its Scientific Advisory Council endeavour to accommodate these wishes within the framework of the international rules on nomenclature. At the same time, they reserve the right to reject proposed names. Donations are used to promote study and research in the area of biodiversity.
2. All scientifically accredited research-institutions in Germany and abroad, and the researchers associated with them, may pass species on to BIOPAT for naming. In the case of applications from private individuals, an appropriate declaration of association must be submitted to the Executive Committee before the species is entered in the BIOPAT list. Where a sponsorship is secured, the institutions in question receive a proportion of the sum donated, to be used in furthering their research.
3. Co-operation with BIOPAT precludes any parallel sponsorship-activity with other partners. Co-operating partners undertake not to engage in any action that could be defined as damaging to the association under the terms of BIOPAT's statutes.
4. Arrangement of a sponsorship by BIOPAT takes place after the Executive Committee has verified that the formal preconditions are satisfied (or, where appropriate, after consultation with the Scientific Advisory Council) and after the Executive Committee has given its approval. The prerequisites for approval are: submission of a declaration stating that the material concerned was obtained legally; deposit of at least the holotype in a publicly accessible collection; submission of the name of the intended organ of publication for the species-description; and a declaration of consent by co-authors.
5. The species-description should, if possible, be published in an accredited specialist journal affording the possibility of peer review. If publication is to take place in a journal without a system of peer review, the Scientific Advisory Council will organize such a review, calling on external specialists where necessary. The person providing the description must be advised of this.
6. If the name is to be included in the species-list on the BIOPAT website, the researcher must provide a short description and illustrations of the new species (or, where the author fears a pre-emptive description by a third party, of a similar species, with a note to this effect). Pictures of the new species may be used for publicity purposes by BIOPAT, or passed on or published by it. Where the creator of a picture objects to this, he/she must inform the Executive Committee of this in writing. By making a species available for inclusion in the BIOPAT programme, a researcher automatically accepts these guidelines.
7. Authors undertake to submit the manuscript of the species-description for publication within six months of the arrangement of a sponsorship. After this period, unless there are reasonable grounds for delay, the claim to a proportion of the donated funds will lapse.
8. Even if BIOPAT has found a sponsor for a species, the sponsorship arrangement for that species will only be considered to have been completed when the description is actually published. Proof of publication must be furnished to BIOPAT by the author in the form of five offprints. Only then will the relevant proportion of the sum donated become available for allocation.
9. The minimum donation required to secure a sponsorship is € 2,600. In the case of particularly attractive species, BIOPAT will endeavour to secure a higher sum. Half the sponsorship donation secured will go to the institute to which the researcher providing the description is attached. Non-sponsorship donations made by supporters of BIOPAT will be used primarily to cover administrative costs.
10. Payment of the 'researcher' proportion of the sum donated is made to the particular department of the institute at which the author is employed or with which he/she is associated (or to the institute's Förderverein or supporters' group). Use of the donated monies must in all cases comply with the relevant tax regulations. Accordingly, monies may only be allocated to a legal person, and may only be used for non-profit-making purposes (research and development). If the body in receipt of the funds is not itself recognized as having non-profit-making status by the tax authorities, it must provide BIOPAT with proof that the monies have been spent for non-profit-making purposes.
11. Institutes/departments to whom allocation is to be made will be informed of this by BIOPAT's Executive Committee. Payment of the sum in question will be made following written confirmation that the monies are to be used for taxonomical research and not absorbed into the institute's general budget. Where possible, the funds will go to the work-groups/researchers who secured the donation. A declaration drawn up in the relevant terms will be sent out by the Executive Committee at the same time as the notice of allocation.
12. Where several authors collaborate on a description, allocation will be made to the institute of the primary author. The primary author must submit a declaration from his/her co-authors empowering the primary author's institute (or its Förderverein or supporters' group) to take receipt of the funds. BIOPAT has no involvement in further regulations.
13. If, after six months, BIOPAT has not been able to arrange a sponsorship for a species, the author of its description may withdraw the species from the BIOPAT list without explanation and name it as he/she sees fit. Withdrawal at an earlier stage should only occur in exceptional and well-founded cases.
14. The remainder of each sum donated is paid into a fund to promote the study and preservation of biodiversity in developing countries (developing countries as defined by the Federal Ministry for Development Co-operation). Applications to this may be made by project-groups, non-governmental organizations, and research institutions of the developing countries from which the new species for which sponsorship has been secured originate. In the case of sponsored species from other countries, the author of the species-description may nominate a developing country as beneficiary.
15. The decision as to whether applications from developing countries merit support is taken by the Executive Committee acting on its own responsibility, following consultations with the Scientific Advisory Committee, which, where appropriate, may call in additional experts. Aspects taken into account here are: the development of local research-infrastructure; the promotion of local researchers and specialists; and the likely success of protective measures. Where possible, existing GTZ links and channels should be used, in order to minimize costs. In its capacity as a founding member, the GTZ undertakes that, where the Executive Committee requests it, it will do everything it can to assist in this respect. It pledges, at any rate, to give favourable consideration to every such request.
16. The Executive Committee, the Scientific Advisory Council, and all external experts must maintain silence in regard to all information that they obtain in the course of the accreditation and decision-making procedure. External experts must undertake to maintain confidentiality. This applies in particular to information relating to individual persons or potentially injurious to reputation. Legal provisions and duties are not affected by this.

If you are interested to submit new species to BIOPAT for arrangement of a sponsorship, please complete the following cooperation form (PDF) and send it together with the corresponding documents to:

Dr. Jörn Köhler / BIOPAT e.V.
Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt
Friedensplatz 1
64283 Darmstadt / Germany

Email: joern.koehler@hlmd.de