15 November 2025 – 31 December 2026

Building on the New AEGIS project, the follow-up initiative AEGIS Plus will continue strengthening the European genebank system by:

1. Improving operational quality
   Advancing quality monitoring tools and updating core operational guidance
2. Strengthening genebank capacity
   Supporting technical skill development and promoting consistent procedures across AEGIS partners
3. Enhancing accessibility and impact
   Assessing the availability, use and distribution of AEGIS material to identify bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement.

Planned activities include:

• Metrics Tool Integration Workshop: A 2-day training for documentation officers to install and implement the metrics tool at an AEGIS genebank
• Operational Manual Template: Preparation of a revised and more accessible manual template by a dedicated expert group
• Technical Hackathons: Two 2-day, hands-on workshops in different locations for curators to align best practices for core operations (e.g. germination testing, drying)
• Safety Duplication Support: Facilitation of safety duplication for up to 700 AEGIS accessions in a foreign genebank
• Peer Review Visits: Reciprocal reviews among 12 genebanks – including at least three field orchards – to exchange knowledge and improve standards
• Accessibility Desk Study: A CGN–ECPGR-led analysis of request levels, accessibility, and distribution of AEGIS accessions over the past five years, supported by a questionnaire and bilateral follow-up. Findings will be synthesized in a report, with potential publication in a peer-reviewed journal.