AGENT Project Concludes Successful Five-Year Research
The AGENT project, a collaborative research initiative dedicated to activate a global gene bank network to sustainably unlock the genetic diversity of food crops for future generations and make them intuitively accessible for modern breeding programmes, successfully concluded its final project meeting. Held at the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) in Versailles, France from 1-3 April 2025, the event marked the culmination of five years of dedicated research and innovation.
Three Days of Review, Results and Collaboration
The first day of the final meeting was dedicated to the project team reviewing the remaining tasks across various work packages and ensuring a smooth conclusion to the project. In a move towards greater transparency and wider dissemination of knowledge, the project opened the second and third days of the meeting for external stakeholders, with 94 participants connecting online. The session on 2 April showcased key scientific results of the project, while the session on 3 April focused on the crucial discussions surrounding the project's impact and sustainability.
A highlight of the meeting was a compelling keynote by Professor Beat Keller from the University of Zurich (UZH), titled "The Role of International Collaboration in the Molecular Study of Cereal Genetic Resources." Drawing on three decades of research, Professor Keller underscored how global partnerships have been vital in deepening our understanding of cereal biodiversity and its role in ensuring food security and sustainable agriculture.
Key Scientific Findings in Genetic Research
A key focus of the meeting was the presentation of significant scientific achievements and findings generated throughout the project's lifespan, such as the progress on building a phenotyping atlas for wheat and barley genetic resources, the use of kmer-based GWAS to predict powdery mildew resistance across gene banks, and the benefits of using more markers in genetic research. Additionally, the presentations covered the value of mobilising historical phenotypic data within gene bank archives, the importance of comprehensive and fair compliant data workflows, the role of gene bank peer reviews in the AGENT project, and the challenges of conserving and managing large collections of germplasm.
Presentations from other European projects (Pro-GRACE, COUSIN, Pro-Wild) and Australian and Canadian gene bank initiatives showed complementary approaches to improving research on PGR and highlighted areas of possible future collaborations.
Discussing the Future: Sustainability and Impact Beyond AGENT
Following on these, the meeting dedicated significant time to discussing the long-term impact and sustainability of the project's outcomes. Participants explored strategies for ensuring that the valuable knowledge, tools, and methodologies developed during the project continue to benefit the scientific community and broader society beyond the project's official end date.
A highlight of these discussions was a dynamic panel discussion featuring leaders from sister project Pro-GRACE and the Australian gene bank initiatives as well as gene bank managers and researchers from the AGENT project. This session fostered a rich exchange of knowledge and perspectives on maximizing research impact and ensuring the long-term preservation and utilization of valuable resources. Key takeaways from the panel included a strong consensus on the need for a long-term, permanent community to sustain the project's achievements and the critical importance of collaborative lobbying efforts to secure consistent and stable funding for future follow-up activities.
The project's findings and resources will be made available through publications and the project website.