EPGRIS - European Plant Genetic Resources Information Infra-Structure

FINAL EPGRIS CONFERENCE

‘User Oriented PGR Documentation Networks’

Announcement of the final EPGRIS meeting, combined with a meeting of the ECPGR Information and Documentation Network.

On 11-13 September 2003 there will be a documentation meeting organised in Prague, Czech Republic. Hosted by the Research Institute of Crop Production (RICP), it will involve most, if not all, PGR documentation experts in Europe. This has become possible by combing resources of two initiatives. The first is EPGRIS, the EU funded project to support the creation of a network of National Inventories in Europe, and to provide central access to these National Inventories in Rome via a database called EURISCO. The second is the ECPGR Information and Documentation Network aimed at bundling the knowledge on PGR documentation in Europe and providing facilities to improve PGR documentation. EPGRIS will be able to invite all National Inventory Focal Persons and the ECPGR network can invite all Central Crop Database Managers active in ECPGR. Since preceeding this meeting, an EU project called PGRForum, focusing on documentation of in situ conservation, will also meet in Prague, it will provide an opportunity to participate in this meeting as well.

This unique group of people will use the three days to think about the impact that EURISCO and the network of National Inventories might have on PGR documentation, how it can improve the way users are served. During the meeting, a complete picture of EURISCO will be given, its history, technology and functionality. Furthermore, different experiences with creating and using National Inventories will be presented. But possibly the most important part will focus on how, given these PGR documentation networks, the user can best be served. For this purpose the different user groups will be identified and their documentation requirements will be explored.

Theo van Hintum, EPGRIS coordinator

Frank Begemann, ECPGR Information and Documentation Network chair