Ancient Environmental Genomics Initiative for Sustainability - AEGIS

The Ancient Environmental Genomics Initiative for Sustainability (AEGIS) is an international research consortium led by Professor Eske Willerslev from Globe Institute. Launched in 2024, it is a major program funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Wellcome Trust with a total commitment of up to DKK 585 million over seven years.

AEGIS explores pioneering ways to develop climate-resilient crops and farming systems by using ancient environmental DNA (eDNA) and other biomolecules from plants, microbes and whole ecosystems to identify climate-adaptive traits. These insights will be used to guide modern breeding of resilient crops such as barley, wheat and rice, and to design more sustainable, biodiversity-friendly farming systems for the future.

Through a global network of partner institutions, the initiative aims to build an open, worldwide resource of ancient eDNA data that can help breeders, farmers, policymakers and industry create climate-resilient food systems for generations to come.

AEGIS is supported by Novo Nordisk Foundation and Wellcome Trust