The University Of Agricultural Sciences Bangalore (UASB), one of the premier agricultural universities in India, recently entered into a partnership with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) for scientific and technical collaboration in rice research, and will also become a member of the institute’s new Bio-Innovation Center (BIC) initiative.
Rice is the primary food staple for India, and its production is the main source of income and livelihood for millions of smallholder farmers and rice value-chain actors in the country. To make rice production more productive, nutritious, and resilient in the face of growing populations, natural resources scarcity, and climate change, key research, development, and innovation need to be accelerated to ensure food and nutrition security in the future.
Signed last 8 July 2021, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between UASB and IRRI will encompass strengthened cooperation between the two institutions, with high priority given to the following areas: (i) mapping of stresses in rice-growing areas; (ii) development of improved rice varieties, improved rice nutritional value, better crop management practices, small and medium scale mechanization, digital technologies, and postharvest loss reduction; (iii) capacity building through training programs; and (iiii) sharing of post-graduate and doctoral research students for research and related activities.
UASB will work closely with IRRI via Bio-Innovation Center, a new initiative that allows private and public sector partners to leverage the institute’s world-class research infrastructure, expertise, and resources for the development or scaling up of research and innovation solutions. Depending on the terms of the agreement, members will have access to IRRI’s advanced technologies and facilities, integrated research support, regulatory and stewardship support, training and consulting services, and more. Learn more about the BIC initiative here .
During the signing, UASB Vice Chancellor Dr. S. Rajendra Prasad said…