Ri-Grace

The PRO-GRACE project

GRACE: A Plant Genetic Resources Community for Europe

The GRACE-RI is a proposed novel, pan-European Research Infrastructure that aims to bring together the European institutions working actively on the conservation and characterization of plant genetic resources. Our vision is to ensure that plant genetic resources are conserved and shared, and the associated knowledge is improved and made available for future generations.

PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES
The backbone of our agriculture

Plant genetic resources (PGR) are the raw materials on which humankind relies for its food, nutrition and livelihood, and to support the bioeconomy. They comprise the diversity of traditional and modern crop species and varieties, crop wild relatives (CWR) and other wild plant species that occur on farms, in gardens and in nature (in situ), and are actively conserved in facilities called genebanks (ex situ). Conserving this diversity and making it available for future generations is of paramount importance for the future of humankind.
A considerable part of this diversity could be lost over the coming decades due to habitat loss, shifts in land-management practices, climate change, and limitations in ex situ conservation infrastructure and management.

PRO-GRACE is developing the concept of a novel European Research Infrastructure, the GRACE-RI, to address these challenges and exploit the full potential of plant genetic resources

The PRO-GRACE project