Strategic Plan

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ICRISAT Strategic Plan 2021-2025

Current Partnerships

ICRISAT undertakes its research through

partnerships. It strongly believes that partnerships

are the only way in which global challenges can be

tackled, and the best local solutions created. We

work with many collaborators and have over 180

unique partners.

Partnerships are critical at all steps from discovery

to delivery in order to:

▪ Better understand local and diverse needs –

to develop better solutions and do this together

navigating through different cultures, gender

differences and engaging youth and other

segments.

▪ Produce cutting-edge science – to bring the

best minds together through partnership with

advanced research institutions and the private

sector to develop better and more holistic

solutions.

▪ We are a catalyst to empower others – being a

source of knowledge from around the world that

can address local needs, and empowering others

to take the lead.

▪ We empower locally so that solutions on the

ground can be community owned and sustainable.

▪ We work with our partners to build capacity and

co-create knowledge through collaboration – by

working together and sharing knowledge.

The breadth of ICRISAT’s partnerships shows that

currently about half of our partnership funding

went to CGIAR Centers, and the other half to non-

governmental organizations, the private sector,

universities and national partners.

Some unique partnerships that ICRISAT has created,

in addition to those in which we participate, include:

▪ Hybrid Parents Research Consortium (HPRC):

Private seed companies are members and so

contribute to setting the breeding research agenda.

▪ Entrepreneurs through Incubators: Since 2004,

the Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP)

has incubated 41 agriculture and food companies

across India and Africa. In addition, we have iHub,

an incubator for agriculture technology (agri-

tech) start-ups and BioNCube, an incubator for

biotechnology start-up companies.

▪ The ICRISAT Development Center was established

in 2013 to focus on uptake of innovations at scale.

This Center has facilitated many new and existing

partnerships, converging with government programs

and engaging local non-governmental organizations

and civil society to roll out solutions on the ground.

▪ For the Tropical Legumes (TL) project, ICRISAT

developed partnerships with the International

Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and national

institutes from seven countries in Africa to create

a legume value chain that has benefitted up to 25

million farmers.

▪ ICRISAT’s Centre of Excellence in Genomics has

developed partnerships with 184 partners from

35 countries on genome decoding, trait mapping

and providing services for sequencing and marker

development.

▪ ICRISAT’s Improved water harvesting techniques:

In the Bundelkhand dryland region of India, ICRISAT

partners with Indian Council of Agricultural Research

(ICAR) institutes, State Agricultural Universities, Swiss

Agency for Cooperation and Development (SDC) and

several grassroot NGOs to improve water availability

through better water harvesting techniques.

▪ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): ICRISAT

developed its CSR strategy in 2014, which has

meant more engagement with private companies

outside of agriculture and food, from cement to

energy companies to support our mission. Through

this initiative, we access new sources of funds

in India, where the private sector must use 2%

of their profits for societal development including

investments in agriculture.

▪ Smart Food initiative: This initiative highlights the

nutritional benefits of ICRISAT’s crops and works

closely with consumers in partnership with chefs

and food influencers to change perceptions and

highlight nutritional opportunities. This initiative

has an executive team of key African and Asian

networks, in partnership with ICRISAT.

Future Partnerships

Our current partnerships and approach are critical

to achieving our mission; this partnership model will

remain a key working modality for ICRISAT.

Our overall target for partnerships is that 70% of

our projects and outputs (e.g., technology releases,

publications and communications) are with

collaborators and partners. We will strengthen our

current partnerships and build on new networking

▪ Ensure sustainable solutions – to address

the whole value web with a wide range of

partnerships including the implementors, private

industry and government partners.

▪ Assure uptake and scaling – to partner with

development specialists and private industry,

engaging at inception and working together through

the whole process to ensure localization and

sustainability of innovations over the long term.

▪ Advocate for appropriate approaches and

solutions – to work together at international,

regional, policy and local fora to share knowledge,

to be thought leaders and help bring about

positive change.

▪ Build confidence – to be able to attract partnerships

and investment to undertake our mission.

The roles ICRISAT can play in these partnerships

requires willingness and flexibility. Depending on the

need and the strengths of partners and other actors:

▪ We can be both a leader and a collaborator.

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