GRASP was a EU framework V project involving eight public institutions and one commercial partner. The major topic of GRASP was the development of "functional" allele-specific markers associated with relevant traits in L. perenne such as forage quality, nitrogen use efficiency, disease resistance, and abiotic stress tolerance. More than 100 candidate genes for these traits were isolated and the respective alleles of 20 genotypes ( Lolium test set=LTS) were sequenced in order to derive allele-specific DNA markers. In parallel, the LTS was used to develop synthetic populations to be propagated under divergent selection over two generations for the different traits of interest. The frequency shift of DNA marker alleles over generations was monitored and used to validate candidate gene-trait associations. In addition to markers and populations, genomic tools were developed including a BAC library for L. perenne, subtracted cDNA libraries, microarrays for expression profiling, and genetic reference maps. Information generated in GRASP will be made available through the existing forage grass database in the UKCropnet (http://ukcrop.net/grass.html). GRASP is expected to be a platform for modern forage grass breeding but also for international follow-up projects.