In Portugal, the city of Braga, 14-15 May 2024., a meeting of managers of European plant gene banks was held. The meeting was attended by 26 participants from 19 European countries.

The meeting of the Network of European Genebank Managers was organized within the framework of the European Cooperative Programm for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR). Our country has been a member of this program since its foundation in 1980.

Upon the invitation from the Chairman of this Network and courtesy of the host country Portugal, the first meeting of the Network was held.

The host of the meeting, Portugal presented its National Research Institute for Agriculture and Veterinary Science (INIAV), which belongs to the network of European Union Reference Laboratories, and its Portuguese Plant Germplasm Bank (BPGV) in Braga. 

On that occasion, the participants of the meeting visited the complex of Portuguese Plant Germplasm Bank (BPGV), when managers and employees presented their work, laboratories, cold - chambers, in-vitro growing chambers for plants and experimental field for regeneration and multiplication of samples. 

The aim of this meeting was to create a Network of European Genebank Managers, so that all European gene bank develop and achieve a uniform Quality System for plant gene banks. The idea is to create a unique site where all plant gene banks in Europe would have their presentations, but also as a place for exchanging all protocols, regulations, policies, standards and solutions for numerous issues in the management of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

The representative of Serbia at the meeting and member of the Network of European Genebank Managers is dr Maja Ječmenica, Head of Plant Gene Bank, Directorate for National Reference Laboratories, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management.

Usefull links:

Usefull links:

https://www.iniav.pt
https://food.ec.europa.eu/horizontal-topics/european-union-reference-laboratories_en 
How_to_use_the_network_in_the_best_possible_way_Lise_Lykke_Steffensen.pdf (ecpgr.org)