The MSB at Wakehurst

The Wellcome Trust Millennium Building at Wakehurst, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Credit: Wolfgang Stuppy.

Kew's Millennium Seed Bank is housed in the Wellcome Trust Millennium Building (WTMB). The facilities opened in 2000, and are located at Wakehurst in West Sussex. It is an integral part of the visitor experience, together with the Mansion and gardens.

The large underground vault of the Millennium Seed Bank provides space to store thousands of seed samples. As well as this the WTMB includes advanced seed research and processing facilities and an exhibition about seed conservation.

The exhibition area is housed in the Orange Room, which is located between the two laboratory wings. The public can observe seed research and conservation in action in the laboratories, which are visible through glass walls.

Wellcome Trust Millennium Building,
Ardingly,
Haywards Heath,
Sussex,
RH17 6TN

The MSBP network

Map of partner countries and territories since 2000.Turquoise filled islands are United Kingdom Overseas Territories.

  • Click a continental region* to view our partner institutions by country.

    • Africa
      • Botswana
        • National Plant Genetics Resources Centre (BNPGRC), Botswana
        • Botswana College of Agriculture, Botswana
      • Burkina Faso
        • Centre National de Semences Forestières (CNSF), Burkina Faso
      • Cameroon
        • National Herbarium Cameroon
      • Egypt
        • Desert Research Center
      • Ethiopia
        • Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute
        • Addis Ababa University
      • Ghana
        • University of Ghana, Department of Botany (UoGh)
        • CSIR-Plant Genetic Resources Institute (PGRRI)
      • Guinea
        • Herbier National de Guinee
      • Kenya
        • Kenya Forestry Research Institute (incl. Kenya Forestry Seed Centre)
        • National Museums of Kenya
        • Kenya Forest Service
        • Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation / Genetic Resources Research Institute
      • Madagascar
        • Silo National de Graines Forestieres (SNGF)
      • Malawi
        • Malawi National Herbarium and Botanical Garden (NHBG)
        • The National Research Council of Malawi (NRCM)
        • Forestry Research Institute of Malawi (FRIM) - Malawi National Tree Seed Centre
        • Malawi National Plant Genetic Resources Centre (NPGRC)
        • National Commission for Science and Technology
      • Mali
        • L'Institut d'Economie Rurale (l'IER)
      • Mauritius
        • National Parks and Conservation Service under the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Fisheries
        • The Mauritius Herbarium
      • Mozambique
        • Instituto de Investigação Agrária de Moçambique (IIAM), Mozambique (IIAM)
        • MICAIA Foundation
      • Namibia
        • National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), incs National Plant Genetic Resources Centre (NPGRC)
      • Niger
        • Institute National de Recherche Agronomiques de Niger (INRAN)
        • Gouvernement de la Republique du Niger, Ministre de L'Hydraulique et de L'Environnment; Centre National de Semences Forestieres (CNSF)
      • Nigeria
        • National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology
      • Sierra Leone
        • National Herbarium of Sierra Leone, Njala University
      • South Africa
        • South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)
      • Sudan
        • Agricultural Plant Genetic Resources Conservation and Research Centre, Agricultural Research Corporation
      • Tanzania
        • National Herbarium of Tanzania (NHT)
        • Department of Botany at the University of Dar Es Salaam (UDSM)
        • Tanzania Tree Seed Agency (TTSA)
        • National Plant Genetic Resources Centre (NPGRC); Tropical Pesticides Research Institute
        • Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism
      • Uganda
        • Uganda National Genebank, Plant Genetic Resources Centre within National Agricultural Research Organisation, Entebbe
        • National Tree Seed Centre
      • United Kingdom Overseas Territories: Ascension Island
        • Ascension Island Government Conservation Department
      • United Kingdom Overseas Territories: St Helena
        • St Helena Government
      • Zambia
        • Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection
        • University of Zambia
    • Antarctic
      • United Kingdom Overseas Territories: Falklands Island
        • Falkland Islands Government
        • Falklands Conservation
      • United Kingdom Overseas Territories: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
      • United Kingdom Overseas Territories: Tristan da Cunha
        • Tristan da Cunha Government Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (TANRD)
    • Asia-Temperate
      • Armenia
        • Institute of Botany of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences
        • Armenian Botanical Society NGO
      • Azerbaijan
        • Institute of Genetic Resources, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS)
        • Institute of Botany, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS)
      • China
        • Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB), CAS, China
      • Cyprus
        • Agricultural Research Institute
        • Frederick University Cyprus, Nature Conservation Unit
      • Georgia
        • National Botanical Garden of Georgia (NBGG)
        • Institute of Botany of Ilia State University (IOB)
      • Israel
        • Israel Plant Gene Bank (IGB), part of Plant Science Institute of the Agricultural Research Organisation at Volcani Centre
      • Jordan
        • National Center for Agricultural Research & Extension (NCARE)
      • Korea, Republic of
        • Korean National Arboretum of the Korea Forest Service
      • Kyrgyzstan
        • National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyzstan Republic (NASKR) encompassing: Institute of Biotechnology
        • Biology-Soil Institute
        • Botanic Garden
        • Center of Innovative Phytotechnologies
      • Lebanon
        • Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI)
      • Saudi Arabia
        • National Commission for Wildlife Conservation & Development (NCWCD)
      • United Arab Emirates: Sharjah
        • His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi
    • Asia-Tropical
      • Bhutan
        • National Biodiversity Centre Bhutan
      • Indonesia
        • Research Centre for Biology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI)
        • Center for Plant Conservation Botanic Gardens, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI)
      • Malaysia
        • Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI)
      • Myanmar
        • University of Mandalay (Min of Education)
        • Department of Botany, Mandalay University
      • Nepal
        • National Agriculture Genetic Resources Center (Genebank); Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC)
      • Pakistan
        • National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC)
      • Singapore
        • The National Parks Board
      • Thailand
        • Forest Restoration Research Unit, Department of Biology of Chiang Mai University, Thailand (FORRU-CMU)
        • Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation
        • Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR)
      • Vietnam
        • Plant Resources Centre, Hanoi (renamed 2005, previously PGRC)
    • Australasia
      • Australia
        • Australian Capital Territory; Australian National Botanic Garden
        • New South Wales; The Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan
        • Queensland; Queensland Herbarium at BBG (Queensland Herbarium);
        • Queensland; Brisbane Botanic Garden (BBG)
        • South Australia; Adelaide Botanic Gardens
        • Tasmania; Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment (DPIPWE)
        • Tasmania; Tasmanian Museum (TMAG)
        • Tasmania; The Botanical Gardens Board, Hobart (RTBG)
        • Victoria; Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne
        • Victoria; National Herbarium of Victoria
        • Victoria; Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
        • Western Australia; Department for Parks and Wildlife (previously Department of Conservation & Land Management and Department of Environment and Conservation incl. Threatened Flora Seed Centre)
        • Western Australia; Kings Park & Botanic Garden incl. Seed Conservation Centre
      • New Zealand
        • Nick Ellison, AgResearch, Grasslands Research Centre
        • Massey University, acting on behalf of and through the New Zealand Indigenous Flora Seed Bank
        • New Zealand Plant Conservation Network
    • Europe
      • Austria
        • Botanic Garden, University of Graz
        • University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences Vienna
        • Botanical Garden of the University of Vienna
        • Botanic Garden of the Institute of Botany, University of Innsbruck
      • Belgium
        • National Botanic Garden of Belgium
      • Bulgaria
        • Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biodiversity & Ecosystem Research (IBER) formerly Institute of Botany
      • Finland
        • Finnish Museum of Natural History at the University of Helsinki
      • France
        • National Museum of Natural History (MNHN)
        • Conservatoire Botanique National Alpin
      • Germany
        • Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem, FU Berlin
        • Institute of Botany, University of Regensburg
      • Greece
        • National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
        • Mediterranean Agronomic Institute Chania (Crete)
      • Hungary
        • Budapest Zoo and Botanic Garden (BZBG)
      • Italy
        • University of Pavia, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
        • Centro per la Conservazione della Biodiversità, Università di Cagliari
        • Department of Biology, Università di Pisa
        • Rete Italiana Banche del Germoplasma per le Pianti Spontanee Minacciate
        • Trento Science Museum
        • Ente di Gestione delle Aree Protette delle Alpi Marittime
        • University di Catania, Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali
      • Luxembourg
        • Musée national d'histoire naturelle Luxembourg
      • Norway
        • Natural History Museum, University of Oslo
      • Poland
        • Botanical Garden - Center for Biological Diversity Conservation of the Polish Academy of Sciences
        • Forest Gene Bank Kostrzyca
      • Portugal
        • Universidade de Lisboa, Jardim Botanico, Museu Nacional de Historia Natural
      • Romania
        • Institute of Biology, Romanian Academy of Sciences
      • Slovakia
        • Institute of Botany, Slovak Academy of Sciences
      • Spain
        • Fundació Jardí Botànic de Sóller (Mallorca)
        • Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
        • Jardín Botánico Canario Viera y Clavijo. Cabildo de Gran Canaria (Canary Islands)
        • Universitat de Valencia, Botanical Garden
        • Sociedad Ciencias Aranzadi [Society for Sciences Aranzadi (SS Aranzadi)] - Banco de Germoplasma Vegetal de Gipuzkoa (BGVG)
        • Atlantic Botanic Garden, Gijon
        • Spanish Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA)
      • Switzerland
        • Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques de la Ville de Genève
      • Ukraine
        • Nikita Botanical Gardens - National Scientific Centre (NBG)
    • Northern America
      • Canada
        • Devonian Botanic Garden, University of Alberta (Devonian BG)
        • Gosling Research Institute, University of Guelph
      • United States of America
        • US Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
        • Centre for Plant Conservation
        • Hawaiian Seed Bank Partnership
    • Pacific
      • Fiji
        • Secretariat of the Pacific Community - Intergovernmental organisation with sites in NCL, FJI and Samoa. Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees and the Pacific Islands Tree Seed Centre
      • Tonga
        • Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Forestry and Fisheries, Government of Tonga.
    • Southern America
      • Bolivia
        • Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mecrcado (El Museo)
        • Instituto Nacinal de Innovación Agropecuaría y Forestal
      • Brazil
        • Empresa Brasilieira de Pesquisa Agripecuaria - Embrapa
      • Chile
        • Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA)
      • Colombia
        • Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt (IAVH)
        • Universidad Pedagógica Tecnológica de Colombia (UPTC)
      • Costa Rica
        • University of Costa Rica, Costa Rica
      • Dominican Republic
        • Jardin Botanico Nacional (JBN)
      • Ecuador
        • Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA)
      • Guatemala
        • La Fundacion Para La Innovacion Tecnologica, Agropecuaria Y Forestal (Fundit)
      • Mexico
        • Universidad Nacional Autonoma (UNAM)
      • Peru
        • Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, (INIA)
      • Puerto Rico
        • Universidad de Puerto Rico
        • Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA), San Juan, Puerto Rico
      • United Kingdom Overseas Territories: Anguilla
        • Anguilla Department of Environment
      • United Kingdom Overseas Territories: Bermuda
        • Department of Conservation Services of the Government of Bermuda (DCS)
      • United Kingdom Overseas Territories: British Virgin Islands
        • National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands
      • United Kingdom Overseas Territories: Cayman Islands
        • Cayman Islands Department of Environment
      • United Kingdom Overseas Territories: Montserrat
        • Montserrat Department of Environment
      • United Kingdom Overseas Territories: Turks and Caicos
        • Turks and Caicos Department of Environment and Coastal Resources previously Turks and Caicos Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs
        • Turks and Caicos National Trust

* Continental regions based on Taxonomic Databases Working Group (TDWG) Standards