Collaboration with IRRI can be key to increasing farmers’ income and addressing climate change issues in agriculture: The World Bank

Delegates from Water Resources Group (WRG) of the World Bank visited the IRRI South Asia Regional Centre (IRRI SARC) in Varanasi on 8th April 2022 to discuss possible collaboration in the AgWater Project and other initiatives in the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh (U.P.).

BIC Director Dr. Gururaj Guddappi Kulkarni welcomed at ICBA Dubai

Last 22 March, Dr. Gururaj Guddappi Kulkarni, Global Head of Research Infrastructure & Regulatory Compliance of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Director of the IRRI Bio-Innovation Center (IRRI BIC), was invited to give a guest lecture at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Dr. Kulkarni talked to ICBA leads and staff about best practices in institutional stewardship and regulatory compliance, as well as about the Bio-Innovation Center, an initiative that allows private and public sector partners to leverage IRRI's world-class research infrastructure, expertise, and resources for the development or scaling up of their own products or research solutions.

Established in 1999 as an international non-profit organization focused on applied agricultural research for marginal environments, ICBA scientists were very receptive to Dr. Kulkarni's lecture, as the organization is open to collaborative opportunities and is moving forward on its own journey for stewardship and other regulatory areas.

Dr. Kulkarni was invited by Dr. R.K. Singh, ICBA Principal Scientist for Plant Breeding and Program Leader on Crop Diversification and Genetics. Dr. Singh was a senior scientist and rice breeder at IRRI from 2005 to 2018, leading and coordinating rice research, breeding, and trait development activities in Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia for stresses such as salinity, drought, heat, and problem soils.

Read original article on the IRRI Bio-Innovation website

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Dr. Kulkarni honored with Outstanding Leadership Award in Food 2.0 Conference

Dr. Gururaj Guddappa Kulkarni, Director of the IRRI Bio-Innovation Center, Global Head of Research Infrastructure & Regulatory Compliance, and Research Support Platform Representative for Asia & Africa, was recently honored with the Outstanding Leadership Award at the Food 2.0 / Health 2.0 International Conference at Dubai Festival City, UAE.

The award was given for Dr. Kulkarni's contributions to the field of Food and Beverage, adjudged on parameters such as reputation, educational background, professional experience, creative thinking, and decisive leadership.

Congratulations, Dr. Kulkarni!

Read original article on the IRRI Bio-Innovation website

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Remembering David Shires

IRRI is saddened to hear of the passing of David Shires on March 21. Hailing from Australia, David was a training consultant at IRRI HQ since the early 2000s, and was a major player in the development of IRRI's Rice Knowledge Bank. He was well-liked by his colleagues for his friendly demeanor, his wisdom, and dedication to his work. The institute sends our deepest condolences to David’s family, friends, and loved ones. 

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Remembering Mina Swaminathan (1933-2022)

On March 14, Mina Swaminathan, educator and wife of IRRI’s fourth Director-General M.S. Swaminathan, died due to natural causes in their home in Teynampet, Chennai. She was 88.

One CGIAR to hold in-country consultation workshops to help transform food systems in the ASEAN region

Photo by Tom Fisk from Pexels

The workshop series seeks to identify the research for development needs and priorities of each ASEAN member state’s agri- and aquatic-food systems to help design a cross-ASEAN research for development program

In March 2022, One CGIAR will hold a series of virtual consultation workshops across Southeast Asia and begin to co-design and co-create an ASEAN-One CGIAR research for development program which addresses national needs and priorities in the food sector.

Passing away of Dr. Md. Murshedul Alam,

The IRRI family is deeply shocked and saddened by the sudden and untimely demise of Dr. Muhammad Murshedul Alam who was one of our dearest colleagues at IRRI Bangladesh Office. He passed away in the afternoon of 23 November 2021 at his residence in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Dr. Alam was working as the Senior Associate Scientist (Agronomy) until his last breath. On behalf of IRRI, Dr. Humnath Bhandari, IRRI Representative for Bangladesh, attended Dr. Alam’s funeral held at Bangladesh Rice Research Institute and conveyed deepest sympathy and condolences to Dr. Alam’s family members, relatives and colleagues.