Six Years of INCREASE: Reflections from the Final Consortium Meeting
Last week, the INCREASE project held its Final Consortium Meeting from 24–27 March 2026 in Paris and Saclay, France. The four-day event brought together consortium partners and stakeholders to reflect on six years of collaborative work dedicated to enhancing the use of plant genetic resources for food security and sustainable agriculture.
The meeting opened at the Agro Paris-Saclay campus with a retrospective by Project Coordinator Roberto Papa, highlighting the project’s scientific achievements and overall impact. Work Package leaders presented key results across areas such as database development, germplasm management, phenotyping, sequencing and data analysis. These sessions fostered active discussions on remaining deliverables, lessons learned and future publication plans. Several partners also noted that the consortium has developed a distinctive “INCREASE-family” atmosphere, reflecting the strong sense of collaboration and mutual support built over the course of the project.
A central theme throughout the meeting was the integration of genomic data and phenotypic information to unlock the potential of legume biodiversity. Presentations showcased advances in association mapping, climate adaptation strategies and innovative genomic tools applied to the four INCREASE crops: common bean, chickpea, lentil and lupin.
The second day featured a joint session with Saclay Plant Sciences, emphasising collaboration beyond the consortium. Topics included citizen science approaches, decentralised conservation of genetic resources and the development of core collections. The Citizen Science Experiment emerged as a flagship achievement, demonstrating strong engagement between researchers and the public.
On the third day, discussions turned toward sustainability and long-term impact. A dedicated workshop explored pathways to ensure the continued use and accessibility of INCREASE outputs, including its web portal and the maintenance of the INCREASE Intelligent Collections. The meeting concluded with a forward-looking session on maintaining momentum beyond the project’s lifetime.
The final day, held at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, brought together stakeholders from across Europe. This event highlighted the project’s main outputs and facilitated dialogue with external partners, including researchers, breeders and representatives of agricultural networks. Stakeholder presentations and discussions underscored the practical applications of the INCREASE Intelligent Collections in breeding, conservation and climate resilience.
In addition to the formal project updates and discussions, participants had the chance to connect further through a series of complementary activities. These included a guided tour of the renowned Herbarium at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, one of the largest collections of its kind worldwide. Housing approximately six million preserved plant specimens, it represents a global archive of plant life and embodies centuries of botanical exploration and knowledge, making it invaluable for understanding plant diversity and relationships. The programme concluded with a specially arranged legume-themed dinner, offering an authentic French experience with cassoulet, a traditional slow-cooked dish from southern France, served alongside a lentil-based starter.
The INCREASE Final Consortium Meeting successfully marked the culmination of a highly productive project. It reinforced the importance of international collaboration in addressing global agricultural challenges and laid the groundwork for future initiatives aimed at preserving and utilising crop genetic diversity.
A special thanks goes to Maud Tenaillon and the teams from INCREASE project partners Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (INRAE) for the organisation of this productive and joyful final project gathering.
The INCREASE consortium
During the consortium meeting
During the INCREASE stakeholder event
A joint lunch with INCREASE stakeholders