About DanSeed

Vision
The vision of the Centre is to develop and strengthen the knowledge base for Danish seed production and propagation, in a national industry that is among the most innovative and competitive in the world. Collaborating both nationally and internationally, the Centre will contribute to maintaining the Danish position and ensuring the continued expansion of the industry.

Mission
The Centre is focused on fostering national collaboration to develop the seed industry, encompassing the whole chain from plant breeding to seed production, processing, quality control, and distribution. It includes the seeds and propagation material used by agriculture, horticulture and forestry to produce food, animal feed, fiber, fuels and for recreational purposes - all areas where quality is of prime importance. The Centre aims to achieve a close linkage and synergy between innovation, research, development, teaching, and other channels for knowledge communication within seed science and technology. It brings together and coordinates ongoing activities and will stimulate new initiatives to promote and benefit the Danish seed industry.

 

The initiative to establish the Centre stems from the long-standing collaboration in seed science between the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (KVL –now the Faculty of Life Sciences at Copenhagen University - LIFE) and the Danish Institute for Agricultural Sciences (DJF – now the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at Aarhus University). It has been established to stimulate an even closer collaboration between the seed industry, educational and research institutions and other partners in the Danish seed sector.

 

Organisation

Coordination Committee
The role of the Coordination Committee is to promote knowledge and capacity building within the Danish seed sector and its related institutions by coordinating and initiating activities in research, and development, teaching, innovation and knowledge transfer concerned with seed science and technology. The Committee will establish thematic working groups to highlight the needs of the industry and help conceive ideas and specific proposals for new activities.

 

The Coordination Committee has 3-4 meetings per year and consists of two members from LIFE, two members from DJF, one member from the Danish Plant Directorate, one member from Danish Agriculture, and up to four members from the seed industry. The chairmanship of the group will rotate every two years between representatives from LIFE and DJF.

The secretariat of the Committee will handle administrative functions, including the Centre homepage, which will contain, among other topics, an overview of the thematic working groups, a list of members and suggestions for MSc/PhD theses in specific areas.

 

The Committee is also responsible for the annual “Seed Science and Technology Symposium”, for researchers and active partners in the seed sector, where thematic issues are discussed and the progress and outcomes of relevant projects presented.

 

Thematic groups/technical working groups
Members who have a common interest in a specific issue may constitute a Thematic Group, interested, for example, in specific methods (e.g. use of NIR and NIT, seed cleaning techniques) or other activities such as collaboration with third world countries, fundraising for seed-related research and development, overseas study excursions and the effective use of common teaching facilities. The establishment of Thematic Working Groups is entirely dependent upon the specific interests the members have and so the number of thematic working groups, and members within them, will vary. The members of a Thematic Working Group may also choose to work together in smaller groups.

 

The Group members will select a chairman, responsible for arranging meetings, whose name will appear on the Centre homepage, together with Group contact details, a list of members and the particular interests and activities of the Group. Each Working Group may decide whether to accept new members after it has been established

The Thematic Working Groups will report at the annual Symposium where establishment of new Groups or closing of old ones will be discussed, with a final decision made by the Coordination Committee. Any Group that has been completely inactive during the previous year will be closed and deleted from the homepage, but may be re-established if there is subsequent need or interest.

 

Tentative examples of interests for thematic working groups

• New technologies for measuring seed quality
• Seed borne diseases (thresholds, diagnostics, disease control etc.)
• Biological seed quality (vitality, vigor, priming)
• Technology and knowledge transfer to third world countries
• Seed production of new species
• Teaching and knowledge communication