Society faces major challenges with climate change, biodiversity loss, development of bioeconomy and an agenda that requires new plant-based solutions. Genetic resources are the biological basis that will help us ensure future climate-smart solutions, resilience in our ecosystems and secure competitiveness in the Nordic countries. In 2021, we have noticed an increasing demand for our knowledge, services and not least seeds from the genebank.

Biological and genetic diversity is one of the fundamental elements in the work for a sustainable future. Climate change is currently happening faster than nature’s ability to adapt, that is why our mission is more important than ever. Genetic diversity is a prerequisite for sustainable food production and for achieving several of the global sustainability goals.

Specifically, our task means that we handle a genebank with around 33,000 different seed samples that must be constantly analyzed, tested, propagated and distributed to researchers and plant breeders. We make conservation plans for the endangered livestock breeds and work for genetically strong and resilient forests. We participate in countless projects and networks related to genetic resources at both Nordic, European and international levels, and we bring together industry professionals in the Nordic countries.

The Nordic Council of Ministers' vision of a green, competitive and socially sustainable Nordic region is thus high on NordGen's agenda.

The year 2021 has been strongly marked by the Covid-19 pandemic's influence on the work of NordGen. NordGen's management chose to maintain restrictions when necessary. The work of conserving the genebank's material and the distribution of seeds has worked almost normally, whereas, the pandemic made other operations more difficult. Nevertheless, the continued usage of online webinars and similar digital solutions have been very useful and the experiences from the pandemic has shown that our crisis management is working and that NordGen staff has made an extraordinary effort that allowed us to continue the operations nearly as usual.

NordGen is in the middle of its strategic period 2020-2022, and in 2021, continuing efforts with conservation activities was emphasized with a high fulfillment of strategic goals. Special attention has been paid on the project "No regeneration backlog by 2024" and the safety back-up facility in Denmark. The year 2021 also accelerated the work with utilization of the genetic resources within documentation, characterization and evaluation of the genetic resources. 
   

In 2021, the construction of NordGen's new main building and knowledge center began – a house that is better adapted to a genebank's operations. The new building will be of great importance for the general operations and have a positive impact on the work environment. This building will have a Nordic expression that fits NordGen's high sustainability goals – a wooden building including features such as sedum roof promoting local biodiversity and solar panels for more sustainable energy production. The relocation is supported by the Swedish Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen) is the Nordic Knowledge Center for plant, animal and forest genetic resources as well as the Nordic genebank for seeds and plants. The institution was established in 2008 as a merger between the Nordic Genebank (established 1979), Nordic Genebank for Farm Animals (established 1983) and the Nordic Council for Forest Reproductive Material (NSFP) (established 1970).

As a knowledge center and genebank, NordGen's mission is to safeguard the Nordic genetic resources and facilitate the sustainable use for agriculture, horticulture and forestry, for current and future generations. The mission also includes providing knowledge and genetic material to facilitate sustainable food and feed production and other biobased solutions in the Nordic region’s changing climate.

As a knowledge center, NordGen also promotes collaboration between farm animals, plants, forest and the environmental area as well as disseminates knowledge and raises awareness about genetic resources. NordGen also promotes management and competences within the three disciplines.

NordGen provides technical advice and information to decision makers in the Nordic countries in national and Nordic collaborations and international negotiations on the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources.

NordGen has a special responsibility for conserving and documenting genetic variation of Nordic material to ensure biodiversity and sustainable use of genetic resources. As early as 1979, the Nordic countries decided that a joint Nordic genebank for plants should conserve and facilitate the utilization of national plant genetic resources.

In the 2004 Kalmar Declaration, the Nordic countries have adopted the basis for how NordGen should manage access and rights to genetic resources. All accessions in the genebank, except for collections held by NordGen for other genebanks, are under joint Nordic management and are a common good.

The genebank's seed collection should contribute to more resilience and new solutions to avoid biodiversity loss and contribute to increased use of genetic resources to achieve sustainable climate solutions, robust food and feed supply including new protein sources, better health and sustainable ecosystem services. At the same time, efforts will be made to improve documentation by characterizing and evaluating the seed collection, so that more data becomes available to the Nordic community.

NordGen manages the program Nordic Public Private Partnership for Pre-breeding (PPP), which aims to support the development of Nordic plant pre-breeding.

NordGen has the operational responsibility for the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in a partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food in Norway and the Global Crop Diversity Trust.