Research call “Enabling and Scaling Genetic Improvement and Propagation Materials”

On October 12, a consultation meeting will be organized to advise and inform an upcoming research call “Enabling and Scaling Genetic Improvement and Propagation Materials”. Experts from knowledge institutes, government, private sector, civil society, and the CGIAR are invited to share their thoughts about the most urgent research questions.

In September 2015, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Economic Affairs and the CGIAR System Organization (CGIAR) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a strategic partnership. This partnership aims to jointly enhance International Agricultural Research with a view to contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The partnership has four priority knowledge domains: agriculture for nutrition and health; sustainable agri-food value chains and sectors; genetic improvement and propagation materials; and climate smart agriculture.

Research call

In the context of the Netherlands-CGIAR partnership, the Netherlands’ Ministries of Foreign and Economic Affairs have decided to launch a specific research call on the above-mentioned priority knowledge domain of “genetic improvement and propagation materials”. This domain offers particular opportunities to build on the Dutch experience and policy interest in the downstream part of research and development, i.e. enabling and scaling, public-private partnerships, and a systems approach to realize innovations and adoptions. Both crops and livestock (including fish), will be part of the program of the call.

Consultation meeting

As an important step for defining the scope of the call a multi-stakeholder consultation meeting will be organized with experts from knowledge institutes, government, private sector, civil society, and the CGIAR. This consultation meeting will advise and inform further decision-making about the call.

Programme of the meeting (preliminary)

• General introduction to the Netherlands-CGIAR strategic partnership.
• Background of this research call on Genetic improvement and propagation materials. General outline scope; objectives; overall budget & timeline.
• Information sharing on opportunities to connect to the other priorities of the NL-CGIAR strategic partnership.
• Dialogue in two subgroups (crops and livestock/fish) discussing (1) Challenges (2) Priority knowledge questions (3) Opportunities for research consortia.
• Plenary feedback and discussion.
• Information on follow-up process.

Participants

Experts from private sector, research, civil society, government, CGIAR with interest in genetic improvement and propagation materials to be used in agriculture in low- and middle-income countries (crops, livestock, fisheries)¹.

Invitations

The meeting will be held on October 12, 2017, in The Hague, and will be facilitated by the Food & Business Knowledge Platform in collaboration with NWO-WOTRO. Invitations have been sent.

Please contact  if you are interested to attend and would like to receive an invitation.