The 60-year partnership between the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is set to be revitalized with the establishment of the UPLB Genome Agricultural Research Center, a flagship project supported by IRRI and funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
Creating innovation and building capacity in cutting-edge crop sciences will be critical for future food and nutrition security. The KOICA-UPLB-IRRI collaborative project plans to tackle advanced bioinformatics, genomics, proteomics, and transcriptomics research, as well as develop strategies to address the current challenges of agriculture in the Philippines, Korea, and other countries. To do this, project activities will include establishing an advanced agricultural genomics center at UPLB, PhD programs at hub universities in Korea, and MSc programs and internships at IRRI to research genomics and OMICs in plant, animal, insect, and microorganisms.
Last October 20, UPLB Chancellor Dr. Jose Camacho and IRRI Director General Dr. Jean Balié held a high-level meeting at the Chancellor’s office to discuss the project. Accompanying the Director General were Alvin Poncin, Chief of Staff and Head of Portfolio Development and Management Office; and Benedict Pamatmat, Senior Manager of Portfolio Development. With the Chancellor were Dr. Nathaniel Bantayan, Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension; Dr. Fernando Paras, Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development; Roberto Cereno, Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs; and Rolando Bello, Vice Chancellor for Administration.
During the meeting, Chancellor Camacho opened the discussion by saying that the project signaled the revitalization of UPLB-IRRI ties, and lauded how IRRI was one of the biggest factors that led to the internationalization of UPLB, through international scientists teaching as adjunct professors and weekly seminar meetings at IRRI that welcomed and benefited UPLB students and faculty. He shared that his administration plans to make the…