Svalbard Global Seed Vault granted 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation
Recently, Svalbard Global Seed Vault was granted the prestigious Spanish 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation. A total of 32 candidates from 17 different countries were considered for the award.
This prestigious Spanish recognition is awarded by the Princess of Asturias Foundation which, in accordance with its statutes, are aimed at rewarding “the scientific, technical, cultural, social and humanitarian work carried out at an international level by individuals, institutions or groups of individuals or institutions. The award highlights the Seed Vault’s important role in safeguarding global crop diversity and and its significance for international cooperation on global food security.
According to a press release from the Princess of Asturias Foundation, a total of 32 candidatures comprising 17 nationalities were put forward for the International Cooperation Award.
Since 2008, the Seed Vault has offered free storage of seed duplicates maintained by international, national, and regional genebanks as well as institutions and organisations. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is the world's largest safety backup facility for seeds representing the world's crop diversity. At present, the Seed Vault holds more than 1.3 million seed samples that belongs to 132 depositing institutions from all over the world.
Svalbard Global Seed Vault is managed through a partnership between the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Crop Trust and NordGen.
”The Seed Vault represents international cooperation at its best. Secure access to diverse genetic resources is critical not only for agriculture and research, but also for global stabilty and food security. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our partners for a consistent and fruitful collaboration. This award is a great honour for us all," says NordGen’s Executive Director, Lene Krøl Andersen.