ECPGR is pleased to announce the release of a revised AEGIS Operational Genebank Manual template, developed within the AEGIS PLUS project, coordinated by the ECPGR Secretariat and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH).
The original template, approved by the AEGIS Advisory Committee in 2010, has guided genebank manuals prepared by AEGIS Associate Members for over a decade. A systematic review carried out under the preceding New AEGIS project – covering 32 manuals from 17 European countries and NordGen – found that only 52% of answers were complete, that the navigation structure caused confusion, and that several questions were redundant or led to inconsistent responses across genebanks.
Building on these findings, the revised template brings:
- Numbered question lists grouped by conservation type (seed, in vitro, cryopreservation, field), replacing the original navigation boxes
- Streamlined, reformulated questions to reduce redundancy and ambiguity
- "Ensuring Availability" as its own dedicated section, separate from Germplasm Maintenance
- A new section on Characterization and Evaluation, reflecting its growing role in genebank operations
- Documentation System and Information Exchange/User Services split into two distinct sections
- Clearer instructions, question numbering, and an expanded cover section
Full backwards compatibility has been preserved: no information has been removed, only reorganized and clarified. Genebanks that already have a manual based on the 2010 template can transfer their content to the new structure with minimal effort.
The revised template is expected to support improved documentation across the AEGIS network and contributes to the longer-term goal of a formal genebank monitoring and certification scheme under the AEGIS Quality System (AQUAS).
It was developed by Petra Engel, Silvia Străjeru and Erik Wijnker, who also led the original manual review under New AEGIS.
Download the revised AEGIS Operational Genebank Manual template
Read the full report: Revision of the AEGIS Operational Genebank Manual Template