Generation Challenge Programme

1
Generation Challenge Programme

• A brief introduction

December 2007
2
Fact File

• Mission Use plant genetic diversity, advanced
  genomic science, and comparative biology to
  develop tools and technologies that help plant
  breeders in the developing world produce better
  crop varieties for resource-poor farmers.
• Vision GCPs vision of the future is one where
  plant breeders have the tools to breed crops in
  marginal environments with greater efficiency and
  accuracy for the benefit of the resource-poor
  farmers and their families
• Structure
• Created in August 2003
• 10 year framework in 2 phases (2004-2008,
  2009-2013)
• Hosted by CIMMYT
• Target areas Drought-prone environments
• Mandate crops All the mandate crops of the CGIAR
  (22 crops)

3
The GCP Network in 2007 60 Institutes
Germplasm Breeding
CGIAR
Private sector
Private sector
Products/Impact Farmers field
ARIs
Needs
Technology
National research programmes
NGOs

• Budget allocation
• 50 CGIAR
• 25 ARIs from the North
• 25 National Programmes and ARIs from the South
• Stakeholder Committee

Germplasm Environments
4
Finances

• Budget Average of USD 15M over the last three
  years (2005-07)
• Donors in 2007 (in alphabetical order)
• Bill Melinda Gates Foundation
• DFID
• European Community
• Pioneer Hi-Bred International
• Rockefeller Foundation
• Swedish International Development Cooperation
  Agency (SIDA)
• Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
  (SDC)
• Syngenta Foundation
• World Bank

5
Budget 2007 (USD)
6
Budget 2007
7
Budget 2007
8
Where in the world is GCP?
Instituto Agronomico per lOltremare
Florence Italy
BIOTEC Bangkok Thailand
Wageningen University Netherlands
John Innes Centre Norwich UK
ICARDA Aleppo Syria
IPGRI Rome Italy
Agropolis Montpellier France
NIAS Tsukuba Japan
Cornell University USA
INRA Rabat Morocco
CINVESTAV Irapuato Mexico
IRRI Los Baños Philippines
CAAS Beijing China
CIMMYT Mexico City Mexico
WARDA Bouaké Cote dIvore
ICAR New Delhi India
ICRISAT Patancheru India
CIAT Cali Colombia
Consortium members
EMBRAPA Brasilia Brazil
IITA Ibadan Nigeria
ACGT Pretoria South Africa
CIP Lima Peru
9 CGIAR 6 ARIs 7 NARS
GCP Consortium

9

• 22 members
• 9 CGIAR
• 5 ARIs
• 4 NARS

GCP Consortium Members
Wageningen University Wageningen Netherlands
ICARDA Aleppo Syrian Arab Rep.
John Innes Centre Norwich UK
IPGRI Rome Italy
Agropolis Montpellier France
Cornell University USA
NIAS Tsukuba Japan
IRRI Los Baños Philippines
CAAS Beijing China
CIMMYT Mexico City Mexico
WARDA Cotonou Benin
ICAR New Delhi India
ICRISAT Patancheru India
CIAT Cali Colombia
EMBRAPA Brasilia Brazil
IITA Ibadan Nigeria
ACGT Pretoria South Africa
CIP Lima Peru

10
National research programmes in GCP

• Major players in the programme
• About 30 NARS (mainly SSA and SE)
• Receive about 25 of the funds
• Active partners in the research
• In all competitive grants
• In most commissioned work
• Increased leadership over time
• Key element in the delivery pathway
• First recipients of the GCP products
• Delivery plans
• Deeply involved in the training and capacity
  component
• As trainees, major beneficiary of training
  activities
• As trainer, the South-South component

11
GCPs 5 Subprogrammes
SP4 Databases, Information Network
Phenotyping
Phenotyping
SP1 Germplasm
SP2 Gene
SP3 Marker-assisted selection
SP5 Training/Capacity
Breeding programmes
(Delivery plans)
Improved genotypes
Improved germplasm in farmers fields
12
GCP Research Approach

• Horizontal Activities
• Accessing the diversity
• (all GCP mandate crops)
• Genomic resources
• (Focus on orphan crops)
• Vertical Activities
• Gene/marker discovery
• (Crop, trait, marginal drought-prone environments
  specific)
• Molecular Breeding
• (Crop, trait, marginal drought-prone environments
  specific)

Other organizations
Resource-Poor Farmers
Use
Delivery Plans
Application
GCP
Validation
Discovery
13
First products

• Characterising germplasm for most GCP mandate
  crops
• Reference sets tested in target environments
• Germplasm already in use for breeding
• Several markers identified
• Impact on breeding for drought-prone environments
• Undergoing testing in local adapted germplasm
• Bioinformatic tools
• Central data repository operational
• Tools to support modern breeding released
• Crossed for marker-assisted selection
• Molecular markers and phenotypic selection
• Training and capacity-building embedded in
  research activities and fine-tuned to user needs
  (CB à la carte for NARS teams)

14
The GCP ResearchDelivery Pathway

• One of our strengths
• Bridge the gap between basic and applied
  agricultural science to provide new tools for
  plant breeding
• ARIs, CG and NARS involved together in most
  research projects
• Consequence
• Every GCP project must be conducted with a very
  clear vision of what the products are and who are
  the potential users
• Delivery plans, participatory research

Seed Distribution
Exploration of Diversity
Genomic Resources Development
Marker Development (Biotic/Abiotic Stresses)
Seed Multiplication
Breeding
Germplasm Collections
Resource-Poor Farmers
Generation Challenge Programme
NARS, Foundations, Private sector, NGOs
15
Delivery Strategy
END USERS
PRODUCTS
DEMAND
FARMERS
BREEDERS
TRAIT CAPTURE FOR CROP IMPROVEMENT
TOOLS PRODUCTS
TOOLS PRODUCTS
BREEDING OBJECTIVES
BIOINFORMATICS
COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY / GENOMICS
GENETIC RESOURCES
TOOLS PRODUCTS
16
Products and legacy

• GCP time-bound--terminating 2013
• Legacy criticalproducts, distribution systems
  and sustainability
• Plant Breeding Support Service proposed

17
Institutional Achievements

• 67 ongoing research projects involving 78
  Institutions
• (as of mid-2007)
• An operational network of partners (North and
  South)
• ARIs, CG and NARS included in every competitive
  research project
• Participatory approach for commissioned work
  (ARM)
• Partnership with international initiatives
• Active collaboration with local communities and
  the private sector
• Legal policy (the rules of the game)
• Consortium agreement
• IP policy
• Humanitarian use licence
• Quality control
• External Review panel for competitive grants
• Internal MT review team and PSC advisory panel
• Delivery strategy
• Stakeholders
• Delivery plans
• ARM Annual Research Meeting

18
Operational Challenges

• Combine diversity of approaches/partners with
  research focus
• Coherent research programme versus a portfolio of
  activities
• Exchange information and data in a virtual
  organisation
• Programme administration challenges
• Germplasm exchange
• Data sharing
• Monitor quality control
• Advisory Committee (PSC), RAP (MT), External
  Review Panel (competitive grants)
• Ensure product delivery
• Acceptance of delivery plans by scientific
  community
• Identify reliable indicators of success
• PSC Programme Steering Committee RAP Review
  and Advisory Panel MT Management Team

19
Scientific Challenges

• Ex-ante impact analysis to evaluate the potential
  impact of GCP projects
• Indicators for achieving Programme objectives by
  2013
• Greater involvement of NARS in project
  leadership, eg, TLI project

20
Conclusions

• Agile programme structure
• Dynamic network of partners
• Already well-recognised community
• First products have been generated, and plans
  with concrete proposals underway to secure GCPs
  legacy after 2013

The success of the GCP will be judged on the
quality of the science and relevance of its
products to impact crop improvement
Visit us www.generationcp.org
21
The End