Independent Science and Partnership Council synthesis and commentary on the Strategic Study on Biotechnology in CGIAR

The ISPC encourages appropriate use of its published information, including quotation, but asks that the source be acknowledged. The recommended reference for this publication is: Background to the study Most members of the CGIAR Consortium (Centers) have invested considerably in biotechnology over the last two decades as part of their activities in plant breeding, genetic diversity, and livestock and fish research, including policy research. Biotechnology has been seen as holding great potential for speeding up breeding and targeting complex traits, addressing previously intractable problems in plant and animal research, and in facilitating research and discovery on the more fundamental areas of genomics, cell biology and metabolism. The need to integrate biotechnology activities across Centers for better synergy has long been recognized. The few initiatives toward this integration include the CGIAR Genomics Task Force (founded in 2002 and now practically dissolved), which comprised the genomics focal points of all Centers, and the Generation Challenge Program (GCP) that emerged from the collaborative genomics activities. The GCP has formed a partnership and research-for-development network on genomic research and molecular breeding, but the program is expected to end in 2014. In the Summary Report on System Priorities (Science Council, 2005), it was foreseen that CGIAR would develop a genomics platform to facilitate genetic enhancement and serve individual commodity and regional needs. In some way the GCP functioned as such a service platform, albeit with a specific research focus. The Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA) Hub functions as a regional platform for providing research-related services and capacity-building opportunities in biotechnology to the target region and beyond. In the first version of the Strategy and Results Framework (SRF) (2009), it was envisioned that a single Mega Program would focus on genomics research and breeding of the major commodities in order to combine genomics research, bioinformatics, phenotyping, intellectual property (IP) management and pre-breeding across crops, livestock and fish. In the current portfolio, the commodities are in seven different CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs). Globally, the discourse on biotechnology has been dominated by the debate on genetic modification (GM) and acceptance of transgenic crops. CGIAR's position and strategic choices in biotechnology in general, and in GM in particular, have not been made clear or been openly discussed within the CGIAR community. This has likely resulted from the fact that a considerable segment of the CGIAR donor community does not support the use of funds for development or deployment …