About us
NordGen is short for the Nordic Genetic Resource Center. As the Nordic countries’ joint gene bank and knowledge center for genetic resources, our mission is to preserve and promote the sustainable use of the genetic resources within plants, farm animals and forestry in the Nordic countries.
Genetic resources are organisms that carry characteristics in their genes that may be important to humans. NordGen is responsible for genetic resources that are important for food and agriculture. These are crucial for meeting our most basic needs for nutrition, protection and fuel.
A great variety of genetic resources, genetic diversity, is a prerequisite for natural selection, adaptation and evolution. Because climate change is happening faster now than nature’s ability to adapt, 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.
NordGen works for a sustainable future
Specifically, our mission involves handling a seed bank with about 33,000 different seed samples that continually need to be analyzed, tested, propagated and distributed to researchers and plant breeders. We make conservation plans for endangered native farm animal breeds and work for genetically strong and resilient forests. We participate in countless projects related to genetic resources at both Nordic, European and international levels and we bring together industry people in the Nordic countries.
Our vision is a society where genetic diversity is one of the fundamental elements of the work for a sustainable future. We want to achieve this by sharing knowledge and genetic material that lead to sustainable bio-based solutions that help the Nordic region to meet climate change.
Our main office is in Alnarp, Sweden, but we also have offices in Ås, Norway.