The microalgal culture collection of the University of Caen was initiated by P. Gayral in 1962. Containing originally a small number of strains isolated from the Orne estuary by H. Lepailleur, the collection has progressively increased in size, with today more than 300 unialgal strains of phytoplankton and microphytobenthos, covering the biodiversity of unicellular algae and representing more than 150 species. These strains have been isolated by scientists from the laboratory, particularly Jacqueline Fresnel, Chantal Billard and Ian Probert. Since 2009, new strains are isolated by Fabien Jouenne, collection curator.

Originally, the collection contained strains mainly from the English Channel and later from the Mediterranean, but strains from diverse locations around the globe have since been included, often thanks to the assistance of volunteers. The collection also contains several deposits from other international collections and from other French laboratories. Because of the taxonomic research undertaken, this collection contains a large number of strains of Haptophyta and Chrysophyta, as well as most of the planktonic unicellular Rhodophyta currently known. A first strain list was published over 37 years ago (Billard 1987). The collection now also contains most of the strains routinely used in aquaculture and a number of potentially toxic strains from diverse algal groups. The identity of most strains has been verified by electron microscopy.

The decision to develop the original collection of the LBBM of the University of Caen Basse-Normandie (today UMR-IFREMER PE2M) into a service collection was taken in response to increasing requests from the scientific and industrial communities in France for cultures and associated services. This project, financed by the Lower Normandy Regional Council, led to the creation in 1997 of a structure baptised ALGOBANK.

During the "CODENET" (Coccolithophore Evolutionary Biodiversity and Ecology Network) project financed by the EC (1998-2001), a diverse collection of cultures of coccolithophores (calcifying haptoiphytes) was developed at the LBBM by Ian Probert. Subsequently this collection, including more than 200 marine strains and more than 15 species, has been integrated into the ALGOBANK collection.

The possibility offered in 2003 by the initiation in France of a project aimed at the creation of "Biological Ressource Centres" led us to envisage a progression towards the development of a national service collection, operating according to a quality charter, thus the creation of Algobank-Caen.

Today Algobank-Caen is a technical platform included in IFR ICORE UCBN.

Billard C . (1987). L'algothèque du laboratoire d'algologie fondamentale et appliquée de l'Université de Caen. Cryptogamie Algologie, 8 (2), 79-90.