The Nexus

The Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen) is the Nordic countries’ joint genebank and knowledge center for genetic resources. NordGen’s task is to preserve and promote the sustainable use of genetic resources in plants, farm animals, and forestry in the Nordic countries. NordGen maintains the Nordic seed collection, which consists of more than 33,000 seed samples representing about 450 plant species. The genebank also holds 95 potato varieties preserved in vitro as living clones. NordGen leads and participates in numerous research projects and is also one of three parties responsible for operating the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Svalbard Global Seed Vault is the world’s largest safety backup for crop diversity. The Norwegian facility was established by the Norwegian Government in 2008 as a contribution to the global community. The Seed Vault is managed and operated in a partnership between the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food, NordGen, and the Crop Trust. As of December 2025, the Seed Vault holds 1,378,238 seed samples, representing 6,521 plant species belonging to 131 depositors. Altogether, the seed samples stored in the Vault originate from almost every country in the world.