Off to a great start: Kick-off meetings for competitive projects
A major highlight on GCP's calendar this month was the Project kick-off meeting for new Competitive Projects awarded in 2006. The meeting was organsied by Subprogramme 5 and held on 6–8 August 2007 at CIMMYT Headquarters, Mexico. It brought together 31 scientists from 16 different countries, among them Principal Investigators, Co-Principal Investigators and the primary users of the proposed research products—representatives of national research programmes in the South.
The purpose of the workshop was to prepare a delivery plan for each of the competitive projects, in alignment with the GCP Delivery Strategy which requires that all new projects have a clear delivery plan right from the start. After intense training sessions bringing together—for the first time—both project team members and potential product users, strategies were mapped to operationalise GCP’s renewed focus on product development and delivery. GCP scientists working on the six new projects now have a clearer understanding of two basic concepts along which to conduct their research: (i) the products to be created, and, (ii) the primary and secondary users of these products. “It’s important that everyone is engaged,” says Carmen de Vicente, the Subprogramme 5 Leader. “By integrating delivery into the planning, our national partners share in the feeling of ownership of the project and its outcomes.”
Another outcome of the workshop, which is also a major part of the delivery plan, was identifying and proposing solutions to potential problems or constraints that could occur along the product delivery chain. In this way, capacity-building can be undertaken to ensure products pass on to the intended users.
Participants will now finalise preliminary versions of their project delivery plan, and selected results will be presented at GCP's Annual Research Meeting in September 2007.
For their hard work in the day sessions, participants relaxed with social events in the evenings, where they sampled the rich Mexican cuisine, interacted, and talked about…GCP Competitive Projects!
Useful related links:
GCP's Project Delivery Plan Kit (DPKit) at: http://www.generationcp.org/UserFiles/File/a_la_carte_proposal_template.xls
Competitive Projects at: http://www.generationcp.org/#Competitive
Change of guard at SP2
It is with sadness that GCP bids farewell to SP2 Leader Hei Leung. Hei, who has been with GCP since the launch of Subprogramme 2 (Comparative genomics for gene discovery) in January 2004, has played a critical role in the creation, management, delivery and communication of a wide portfolio of research projects. Hei’s hard work and dedication throughout his time as SP2 Leader have significantly contributed to GCP’s achievements, especially in gene discovery in relation to abiotic stress-tolerance. Hei left the GCP Management Team on 30 June 2007 in order to dedicate himself fully to research work at IRRI. Hei will say his final goodbyes at the GCP Annual Research Meeting in Benoni, South Africa, next month. Hei’s passion for science and his reputation for always going that extra mile will be greatly missed. We wish him the very best for his future endeavors!
Stepping into the recently opened SP2 Leader vacancy is Rajeev Varshney. Rajeev, an Indian national, was previously working full-time at ICRISAT as a Senior Scientist specialising in applied genomics. Rajeev will bring to the team his broad experience and great interest in the areas of molecular markers, computational, comparative and functional genomics in cereals. Rajeev took up his new role on 1 August 2007, and will work with the GCP Management Team on a part-time basis, alongside his current position at ICRISAT, India, where he will continue to be based. Those attending the GCP Annual Research Meeting will have the pleasure of meeting Rajeev in person next month. We very much look forward to working with Rajeev, and ask you to join us in welcoming him on board!
GCP–IGD Interactive Resource Centre and Helpdesk
Please visit the Interactive Resource Centre (IRC) which has two brand new features on the home page: 1) a news section which will carry two research articles each month, and 2) a ‘What’s New?’ section to help you easily find new material. The IRC is intended to be both informative as well as interactive. It provides protocols, tutorials, literature and news, and also interactive services. Scientists are encouraged to submit questions through the Helpdesk on issues such as laboratory protocols, technical problems, data management and funding and training opportunities
Announcements
Bioversity International Vavilov–Frankel Fellowships 2008
Areas of focus: Conservation and use of Plant Genetic Resources
Eligibility: Applicants must be nationals of developing countries, aged 35 or under, and hold a masters degree (or equivalent) and/or doctorate in a relevant subject area.
Application deadline: 5 November 2007
Contact person: Elisabetta Rossetti - e.rossetti@cgiar.org.
Website for further details on topics, criteria and application procedures: Bioversity website
From FAO….
1) biotechnology activities and documents
Two main sections of the FAO biotechnology website have recently been updated. The first, on FAO Activities, includes an introductory webpage on FAO activities in the field of biotechnology as well as one webpage each for its four main activities i.e. providing i) advice to governments ii) technical assistance iii) information and iv) a meeting place for nations.
The second, on FAO Documents, provides an annotated list of freely-downloadable documents and now includes over 160 web links to a wide range of articles, books, meeting reports, proceedings and studies published by FAO, or prepared in collaboration with FAO, over the last 10 years concerning biotechnology in food and agriculture. See http://www.fao.org/biotech/act.asp and http://www.fao.org/biotech/doc.asp respectively (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish)
2) FAO/IAEA Plant Breeding and Genetics Newsletter 19: The July 2007 issue gives an overview on FAO/IAEA past and upcoming events, ongoing projects and publications. The editorial is on induced mutations in crop improvement. See http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/pbg/public/pb-nl-19.pdf (2.2 MB) or contact k.allaf@iaea.org to request a copy.