9th March 2010


This issue of GCP News opens on a particularly upbeat and energetic note as we report on a recent flurry of key GCP events in Asia, including the official launch of a major GCP project – the Molecular Breeding Platform, as well as twin launch meetings for the wheat Challenge Initiative in India and China. We also report on the forthcoming launch of a new sister Challenge Programme, update you on the latest GCP publications and resources, and inform you of funding opportunities from our network of partners.

Announcements

From GCP…
1. GCP launches Molecular Breeding Platform
Several months of hard work and preparation, through both face-to-face meetings and virtual interactions, culminated this past February in the official launch meeting of GCP’s Molecular Breeding Platform, a USD 21 million project jointly funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and GCP’s core funders, including the European Commission and the UK’s Department for International Development.  More

2. MBP users and developers get down to work at Informatics workshop
The MBP Launch workshop was immediately followed by an Informatics workshop from 22–24 February 2010, in which users and developers met face-to-face to review – or begin to develop – information strategies for each use case.  More

3. GCP kick-starts Wheat Challenge Initiative in Asia
The curtain finally came down on GCP’s February events in Asia, with the following launch meetings:

  • India Wheat Challenge Initiative launch workshop, 22–23 February 2010, New Delhi, India.
  • China Wheat Challenge Initiative launch workshop, 25–26 February 2010, Beijing, China.
  • More

4. New research publications from GCP and collaborators alike
2010 has got off to a productive start with the presses rolling for both GCP staff and collaborators alike:

  • The genetic origin of fragrance in NERICA1 (Asante et al): This paper is based on the work carried out by lead author Maxwell Asante during his Fellowship with GCP, with co-writers from Cornell Univeristy (USA), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana) and AfricaRice.  More
  • Molecular Plant Breeding (Xu Y). Penned by GCP collaborator Yunbi Xu, this 752-page volume has been dubbed an ‘encyclopedic handbook’ for molecular breeding in plants.  More
  • Gene flow between crops and their wild relatives (Andersson MS and de Vicente MC; Foreword by Ellstrand NC): Considered a ‘must-have book for anyone who is developing or regulating a transgenic crop’, and co-authored by GCP SP5 Leader Carmen de Vicente.  More
  • GCP’s 2010–2012 Medium-Term Plan: following GCP’s submission of its 2010–2012 MTP to the CGIAR Science Council via the CGIAR ICT-KM-supported Easy MTP online system in June 2009, the MTP is now also available in a more print-friendly PDF version on our website, as well as in hard copy (limited copies). To request a hard copy, please send your name and full mailing address, indicating the number of copies you wish to receive, to Communications Assistant Kate Durbin.

5. New resource from GCP
Following the release of a Beta version last September, a final version of GCP’s Marker-assisted breeding Learning module is now available online, as well as on CD–Rom or for downloading onto your computer. More

….and a roundup of the latest news, resources and opportunities from GCP’s network of partners
News and resources
1. Launch conference of new Challenge Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security
GCP welcomes a new sister Challenge Programme on board as preparations continue for the forthcoming launch conference of the Challenge Program on Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), a new 10-year initiative established by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and the Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP). The conference, entitled Securing food security in the face of climate change, will take place in Nairobi, Kenya on 4th May 2010.  More

2. New resource for chickpea breeders
Collaborators of the Tropical Legumes II project – twin project of GCP’s Tropical Legumes I – have released a comprehensive manual on improved seed production technologies.  More

Opportunities

3. Call for applications: 2010 African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) Fellowships (a project of the CGIAR Gender & Diversity Program)

  • Eligibility: 
    •  
      • African women working in agricultural research and development from one of the following countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda or Zambia
      • Applicants must have completed a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree in selected disciplines
      • Applicants must be available to work in Africa throughout the Fellowship period
    • Deadline for nominations: 22nd March 2010.
    • More

4. Crawford Fund Fellowship 2010

  • Objective: to provide an opportunity for the successful candidate to spend a period of focused study and training in Australia, to benefit the awardee as well as their country’s agriculture and Australia
  • Eligible applicants: Scientists under 35 years whose work has shown potential, and who are from one of the following developing countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, East Timor, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Is, Tonga, Tuvalu and Kiribati, Vanuatu and Vietnam. 
  • Deadline for nominations: 12th April 2010.
  • More

GCP warmly invites your feedback and comments at GenerationCP-News@cgiar.org

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