Svalbard The Seed Vault
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault outside Longyearbyen, its deposits and the people who run it.
Where it stands
The vault holds over 1.4 million seed samples from more than 130 genebanks. Norway owns and funds it and runs it with the Crop Trust and NordGen (the Nordic Genetic Resource Center).
In October, 21 genebanks deposited more than 16,000 samples. Ukraine sent 773 of them, its first deposit since the war began.
The vault received the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation. The EUR 50,000 prize goes to genebanks whose collections are still at risk.
Reports
- Summary29 October 2026Svalbard Seed Vault Prize to Protect At-Risk CollectionsSeedWorld
- Summary29 October 2026"Treasures" in the Arctic help protect food for future generations.Vietnam News Portal
- Summary26 October 2026How the Svalbard seed vault could help protect Africa's food futureAfricanews
- Report26 October 2026CIP deposits 1,027 additional seed accessions at the Svalbard Global Seed VaultPotatoPro
- In full24 October 2026Svalbard Global Seed Vault receives the Princess of Asturias AwardGovernment of Norway
- Report23 October 2026Quinoa, kiwicha and other Peruvian crops added to the seed vaultAgencia Andina
- Report22 October 2026IRRI makes new rice deposit at the Svalbard Global Seed VaultGlobal Agriculture
- Report22 October 2026Inside Svalbard’s Arctic Seed Vault: A Cold Sanctuary for Global Crop DiversityFreeyork
- In full22 October 2026Seed Vault partners direct prize money to genebanksGovernment of Norway
- Report20 October 2026Inside the Doomsday Vault that could one day save the worldThe Times
Tags in this topic
Seed Vault 29Crop Trust 13Seeds and crops 17