According to the latest release of IUCN - World Conservation Union (http://cms.iucn. org/about/work/programmes/species/red_list) approximately 70% of the world’s assessed plants from Red List are in jeopardy. The loss of plant genetic resources has made necessary the development of new ex situ conservation methods (Engelmann & Engels, 2002). Advances in biotechnology, especially in vitro culture techniques and molecular biology, provide some important tools for conservation and management of plant genetic resources. Several in vitro techniques have been developed, mostly for vegetatively propagated and recalcitrant seed producing species, with recent establishment of extensive germplasm collections (Sarasan et al., 2006). In vitro storage techniques include the medium-term storage (for a determined period - a few months up to a few years) using slow growth strategy or artificial seed production, and long-term storage (tentatively for an indeterminate period of time) using cryopreservation. Slow growth storage strategy is used to preserve some endangered phytotaxa in the Institute of Biology (Bucharest, Romania) in vitro regenerative lines collections. To establish a germplasm collection the main steps are in vitro morphogenesis induction, multiplication the morphogenic lines and maintaining the regenerative tissue preserving the genetic integrity of donor (wild) plant. In vitro culture systems are currently used as effective means for ex situ conservation of endangered plant species as well as to produce plant material for valuable secondary metabolites production. In this study, efficient protocols for seed germination, seedling development, somatic embryogenesis inducing and complete plant regeneration were established, for ex situ conservation of the endagered plant Serratula bulgarica. Serratula bulgarica is a Balkan near-endemic and critically endangered plant species growing in the herbaceous plant communities from wet meadows to steppes from North-Western Bulgaria and Eastern Romania. Populations are strongly fragmented and with low number of individuals. The main conservation measures taken concernsonly some in situ approaches. Apart of the conservation interest, several species belonging to Serratula genus were investigated for their ecdysteroids, flavonoids and fatty acids content (Bathori et al., 1999, 2004; Fedorov et al., 2009; Shirshova et al., 2006; Tel et al., 2013) withvarious biological activities including antibacterial and antitumor (Dai et al., 2001; Shirshova et al., 2006; Tel et al., 2013).Furthermore the roots of some Serratula specieshavebeen used as a folk medicine in China, for treatment of chickenpox, toxicosis and high cholesterol, since ancient times (Dai et al., 2002). In this context, the described micropropagation protocol could be also used for production,through plant tissue culture, of valuable secondary metabolites with application in modern medicine. The seeds, collected from a wild population, were cold stratified and then surface sterilised and cultured on MS basal media in absence of growth regulators. The germination was acheved in 3 weeks of culture and the radicle emergence was evaluated as a main indicator. Cuttings (leafs and roots) from ten days old seedlings wereplaced on inducing medium (CI) with different formulation designed for somatic embryogenesis inducing. The most effective inducing media was those supplemented with 2.5 mg/l 2,4D and 0.5 mg/l Kn. The hayest rate of embryo germination was achieved onto germination media (GM) supplemented with 1mg/l NAA and 0.1 mg/l BAP. Mature embryos regenerate plantlets when transferred onto regeneration - elongation media - REM (MS supplemented with 0.1mg/l NAA and 1mg/l Kn) that subsequently rooted onto rooting media - RoM (MS supplemented with 0.1mg/l IAA). This is the first report upon effective protocolsfor medium and long termex situ conservation of this protected plant species and also for ecdysteroids, flavonoids, fatty acids and other biologically active compounds production using in vitro systems.