Imagine a giant library of plant seeds and traits spread across 400 different buildings, but each library uses a different filing system and some books are rotting. This project is creating a single, master blueprint to organize all these resources into one coordinated network. It makes it easier for researchers to find the right plant traits to fight climate change and pests.
Plant genetic data is fragmented across hundreds of institutions, making it nearly impossible for businesses to efficiently find and use specific traits for crop improvement. This lack of coordination risks the loss of critical biodiversity needed for climate resilience.
A conceptual design for a European Research Infrastructure (GRACE-RI), including an inventory of quality standards for 60 genebanks and a public website.
If you are a seed breeding company dealing with the need for climate-resilient crop varieties — this project developed a concept for a coordinated infrastructure that organizes 2 million plant accessions. This allows for faster identification of genetic traits that improve crop survival.
If you are a bio-based materials manufacturer dealing with a lack of raw plant material diversity — this project developed standards for genebank operations. This ensures a quality-assured supply of genetic resources for developing new sustainable materials.
If you are an industrial crop producer dealing with crop failure due to biological invasions — this project developed a plan to integrate in situ and ex situ plant data. This helps in finding wild plant relatives that possess natural resistance to pests.
Based on available project data, no specific pricing or cost models for end-users are provided, as the project focuses on the concept for a future Research Infrastructure.
No. The project is currently developing the concept and organizational foundations for a future infrastructure, rather than a commercial product.
The project analyzes ethical and regulatory frameworks for the sustainable use of resources, but specific licensing terms are not detailed in the provided data.
The project specifically integrates information into the EURISCO search catalogue and plans to collaborate with other infrastructures like ELIXIR and LIFEWATCH.
The project runs from 2023-01-01 to 2025-10-31 to develop the concept, which will then be used for a full proposal at the next ESFRI call.
The consortium is heavily weighted toward research and public administration, featuring 31 partners across 17 countries. With 19 research organizations and 5 universities, the project is academic-led. There is very low industrial participation, with only 2 SMEs and 0 large industry partners, indicating this is a foundational infrastructure project rather than a commercial product development.
Contact AGENZIA NAZIONALE PER LE NUOVE TECNOLOGIE, L'ENERGIA E LO SVILUPPO ECONOMICO SOSTENIBILE in Italy.
Contact us to track the transition of this concept into a full-scale European Research Infrastructure.
