AEGIS Plus

Reinforcing European ex situ conservation through AEGIS implementation and capacity building

Short title: AEGIS Plus

 The project 'AEGIS Plus' is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity

Activity Coordinator: ECPGR Secretariat

Timeframe

15 November 2025 – 31 December 2026

Project short description

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.

Implementation

February 2026
A Workshop on Genebank Metrics,  developed within the framework of the New AEGIS project, will be held in Prague, Czech Republic, on 24-25 February 2026.
As a next step towards broad adoption of universal genebank metrics,  the Workshop will present, discuss and improve these metrics with a group of documentation specialists with hands-on experience in genebank documentation. Where possible, steps towards adoption will be made. [Agenda (280,9 KB)  |  List of participants (221,2 KB)]

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