The INCREASE project (Intelligent Collections of Food Legumes Genetic Resources for European Agrofood Systems) was a European Union-funded initiative under the Horizon 2020 programme, running for six years, with a budget of 7 million euros.
The project brought together 25 partners from 12 countries, including universities, research centres, international organisations and companies, with the goal of preserving and promoting the sustainable use of the genetic resources of four key food legumes: chickpea, common bean, lentil and lupin.
Food legumes are increasingly important in European food systems. Beyond being high-quality sources of plant-based protein, they represent a sustainable alternative to animal protein, with a lower environmental footprint.
Genetic diversity of crops
The genetic diversity of cultivated plants is one of humanity's most valuable and most fragile resources. It is what enables the development of varieties capable of withstanding pests, diseases, droughts and the impacts of climate change. Without it, food systems become vulnerable.
Gene banks (or germplasm banks) have been preserving seeds and genetic material for decades. The challenge is that the vast amount of stored material is difficult to study and efficiently use by researchers and plant breeders.
That is precisely where INCREASE made the difference.
Main results of the INCREASE project
One of the project's greatest contributions was the development of "Intelligent Collections", carefully selected subsets of genetic resources that efficiently represent the diversity stored in gene banks.
These collections combine representative genetic diversity, harmonised phenotypic data (observable plant characteristics) and high-resolution genomic information
For common bean, for example, around 8,000 genetically stable lines were generated, supported by extensive genomic sequencing and multi-location field trials across Europe. In the case of lupin, this represents the most comprehensive characterisation ever carried out for this crop.
These resources allow researchers and breeders to far more efficiently identify valuable genetic traits and develop new crop varieties adapted to changing environmental conditions.
Using advanced genomics and "-omics" technologies, INCREASE identified important genetic regions across several food legumes. In chickpea, regions linked to drought tolerance, in lentil, genes that help plants adapt to high-altitude conditions, and in common bean, genes conferring disease resistance.
By combining these insights with newly developed statistical methods, scientists can now pinpoint genes whose effects depend on the environment in which the plant grows. This knowledge feeds into predictive models that identify which varieties are best suited to specific environments — both today and under future climate conditions.
Over 27,000 people conserving seeds
One of the most innovative and visible elements of the project was the Citizen Science Experiment, focused on common bean.
Thousands of European citizens, in gardens, schools and urban spaces, grew bean varieties, recorded plant characteristics and shared their observations through a dedicated mobile application developed within the project.
The results exceeded expectations. Over 27000 citizens registered across six growing seasons and hundreds of schools participated, raising awareness among younger generations about agrobiodiversity and sustainable agriculture.
The result was the establishment of a decentralised conservation community, complementing traditional gene banks.
This innovative conservation model was made possible through a clear legal framework, including the Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA) for traceable seed exchange, under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, hosted by the FAO.
And recognition followed swiftly with the INCREASE Citizen Science Experiment been awarded the EU Prize for Citizen Science.
150 institutional stakeholders
The project featured an INCREASE Stakeholder Consortium with more than 150 members, including research institutions, gene banks, plant breeding companies and agricultural networks.
These partners actively contributed to evaluating, multiplying and using the genetic materials developed within INCREASE, ensuring that results translate into practice for researchers, breeders and farmers alike.
Open Data Portal: science accessible to all
To maximise long-term impact, the project developed the INCREASE Web Portal, an open-access platform bringing together passport, phenotypic and genomic data on food legume genetic resources.
The platform follows FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), making project outputs available and reusable by researchers, breeders and other stakeholders worldwide.
What is the legacy of the INCREASE project?
The impact of INCREASE project endures. The genetic resources, data and tools developed remain available to gene banks, researchers, breeders and farmers across Europe and beyond.
The citizen science initiative will continue through the Diversitas association, established to explore opportunities for sustaining the decentralised conservation community and participatory research activities initiated by the project.
Portugal participated in the consortium through Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP), one of the 25 partner institutions. Within the project, UCP characterized almost 1,300 common bean samples representing accessions grown across two years and three locations: Spain, Italy, and Poland.
Analyses included total protein, total phenolic content, essential minerals, and carbohydrate, oil, and moisture content supporting the assessment of nutritional quality and genotype × environment interactions.
Also, UCP made contributions to the INCREASE Citizen Science Experiment, supporting dissemination activities and promoting public engagement in the conservation and evaluation of common bean genetic resources.