A Regional Initiative for a Cross-Border Cryobank in the Western Balkans and the Caucasus – A case study based on a sample of fruit tree and grape local accessions
Activity Coordinator: Tatjana Vujović
The CryoConnect Activity, submitted by the Cryopreservation Working Group for funding under the Second Call of the Phase XI ECPGR Activity Grant Scheme, was selected by the Executive Committee and approved in March 2025.
- Activity proposal (600,7 KB)
The project
CryoConnect is a subregional initiative aimed at developing a cross-border cryobank in the Western Balkans and the Caucasus, focusing on local fruit tree and grape accessions.
The initiative marks a significant step forward towards the long-term conservation of local plant genetic resources and brings together leading institutions from:
- Serbia (Fruit Research Institute, Čačak)
- Croatia (Faculty of Agriculture, Zagreb)
- Albania (University of Tirana & Academy of Sciences of Albania, Tirana)
- Georgia (Scientific Research Center of Agriculture, Tbilisi)
North Macedonia (Institute of Agriculture, Skopje) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science, Sarajevo) participate as observers with the potential to join the initiative.
Project Objectives:
- Build a shared cryobank infrastructure
The project envisages the establishment of a shared cryo-bank at FRI Čačak, Serbia, serving as a cryo-backup of local genetic resources for the subregion. - Promote training and technology transfer and standardize cryopreservation protocols
Cryoconservation and virus eradication protocols will be fine-tuned through training sessions in Čačak (August/September 2025) - Strengthen regional scientific collaboration
A Memorandum of Understanding will be drafted to regulate terms and conditions of the use of the cryo-bank. - Enable long-term PGR conservation.
All accessions involved will also become part of the European Collection (AEGIS), i.e. shared through the Standard Material Transfer Agreement
Implementation
June 2025
The Kick-off meeting of the CryoConnect Activity was held in Tirana, Albania, on 25 June 2025 (Agenda (265,1 KB) | List of participants (199,9 KB) | Presentations).
Kick-off meeting presentations
25 June 2025
| Presentations | Author |
| Introductory remarks on behalf of ECPGR (399,4 KB) | L. Maggioni |
| CryoConnect - A Regional Initiative for a Cross-Border Cryobank in the Western Balkans and Caucasus (2,9 MB) | M. Faltus |
| Sanitary evaluation of the material for cryopreservation purposes (693,9 KB) | D. Jevremović |
| What we have done so far (5,7 MB) | T. Vujović |
| Three decades of research in micropropagation and in vitro conservation in Albania: Now entering a new era with cryopreservation (4,8 MB) | E. Kongjika, V. Sota |
| Cryopreservation and conservation of grapevine genetic resources in Croatia (2,5 MB) | Z. Marković |
| In vitro conservation of plants in Georgia (507,1 KB) | T. Zakalashvili |
| CryoConnect: Project objectives, partner roles, and timeline (654,8 KB) | T. Vujović |
| CryoConnect: MoU proposal (246,8 KB) | T. Vujović |