BioInnovate Africa

Bio-Innovate provides its project managers and financial officers with an experience-sharing and learning forum on Results-Based Management

amoswawire — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 10:55:46 +0000

The Bio-Innovate Program will organize a three-day training workshop on results-based project and financial management on 29-31 March 2012, at ILRI campus, Nairobi, Kenya. The workshop is an experience-sharing and consultative meeting on project management, monitoring, review and reporting in addition to financial management. It targets program managers, project principal and co-principal investigators as well as finance officers handling Bio-Innovate funds at the implementing partner institutions.

The workshop seeks to establish a common understanding among the participants on Results-Based Management (RBM) approach, as a tool for directing and managing programs and projects with a focus on results, as it relates to the Bio-Innovate Program and its consortia projects in eastern Africa. Participants will also be taken through the Bio-Innovate Program Standard Operating Procedures, a framework of practices and regulations developed to guide the implementation of Bio-Innovate supported projects. The workshop sessions will be delivered in a hands-on and interactive format to help participants internalize the RBM concept and its application. Bio-Innovate aims to apply RBM principles in implementing, monitoring and reporting on achievements and subsequently the outcomes and impacts of the program.

The project team leaders and team members will be guided through various RBM tools on project management while financial officers will be guided on fund management procedures and financial transaction record keeping. Skills and knowledge gained from this workshop will empower Bio-Innovate program managers and project implementers towards efficient execution of projects and proper accountability of funds to achieve set milestones and objectives.

The Bio-Innovate Program Secretariat has invited Dr Frederick Rick Williams from the Associates for International Management Services from the USA, an internationally acclaimed expert in delivering hands-on training on Results-Based Management practices.

Albert Mwangi Appointed Bio-Innovate Communications Officer

amoswawire — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 07:21:49 +0000

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Albert Mwangi, the new Bio-Innovate Communications Officer. Albert Mwangi joins the Bio-Innovate team with experience in development communication. Albert holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from United States International University.

Previously, Albert was a Communications Officer at African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) for two years. He worked across four research themes and coordinated their media and communications activities. He was instrumental in coordinating all information, communication and educational materials as well as other research communication products produced at APHRC.
Before his appointment at APHRC he worked for Oxfam GB and interned at both the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and the United States Agency for International Development.

Mr. Mwangi is a welcomed addition to the growing Bio-Innovate team.

Seyoum Leta (PhD)
Bio-Innovate Program Manager

Dr Allan Liavoga appointed Bio-Innovate Deputy Program Manager

BioInnovate-Africa — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 06:01:56 +0000

I am pleased to announce that Dr Allan Liavoga, a national of Kenya, has been appointed Bio-Innovate Deputy Program Manager since 16 January 2012. Dr Liavoga brings rich technical and managerial experiences from his more than 16 years of experience in agricultural biosciences.

Allan Liavoga holds a PhD in food science from Kansas State University, USA. Dr. Liavoga obtained his first degree in Dairy Science and Technology from Egerton University, and his Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Food Chemistry from KSU, USA. He has post-doctoral research experience from KSU in analytical chemistry. Dr. Liavoga has also undergone specialized training on food safety aspects of biotechnology as a post-doctoral fellow at Michigan State University.

Before joining Bio-Innovate Program-ILRI, he was a program officer with the African Union – NEPAD Agency African Biosafety Network of Expertise for 3 years. At AU-NEPAD, he was lead technical person on safety of foods derived from GMOs and also coordinated biosafety capacity development activities for Kenya and Uganda. As a biosafety program officer at AU-NEPAD, Dr. Liavoga has trained regulators, scientists and policy makers across the continent on regulatory processes for genetically modified organisms (GMOs). He has also consulted in the development of biosafety guidelines and other technical tools required for regulating GMOs. Before joining AU-NEPAD, Dr. Liavoga worked as a graduate research assistant at the Grain Science and Industry Department of Kansas State University (KSU) for 7 years. He also worked for the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) as a research scientist for 6 years, initially at the National Plant Breeding Research Centre, Njoro as the head of the Cereal Chemistry Department and later at KARI Biotechnology Centre coordinating food safety activities. Dr. Liavoga has published peer reviewed articles on regulating foods derived from agricultural biotechnology in addition to policy briefs communicating biosafety issues for policy makers and decision makers on the continent. He has published additional articles in refereed journals and a book chapter in the field of food science and technology.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Liavoga and wish him all the best in his new position.

Seyoum Leta (PhD)
Bio-Innovate Program Manager

Christmas and New Year greetings from Bioinnovate Africa

BioInnovate-Africa — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:13:09 +0000

As the festive season ushers in and the year comes to an end, it is with profound appreciation to note that our focus in the year 2011 was on building functional innovation consortia teams responsible for taking bio-science Research for Development (R4D) and innovations to the market.

Appreciation to all the nine consortium teams for the enormous amount of work done, the nine innovations and policy consortia projects are now in place. These innovation and policy consortium projects are now running and are at different stages of implementation. This stupendous commitment is extremely important towards driving our shared agenda of addressing key constraints in the agricultural and environmental subsectors within the Eastern Africa region.

As we approach Christmas season, with all the elation, exhilaration, merriment and excitement, that are part of the tradition, I am glad to take this opportunity to extend Season’s Greetings and best wishes for the New Year 2012 to all our stakeholders, Sida, friends and associates, who have significantly contributed towards achievements of our objectives and intended targets. Your support during the year 2011 helped us on commencing the journey to fulfilling our mission of creating and promoting bio-resource-based innovation systems in Eastern Africa’s economic development processes.

I wish to acknowledge your diligent support that has significantly contributed towards achievements of our objectives in the last one year. I am confident that the spirit of support and cooperation displayed, this far, will be taken further in the New Year.

May we be ever mindful of the spirit of caring, sharing, love and generosity that the Christmas season brings to the fore as we seek to catalyze and deliver agricultural, environmental and industrial innovations that stimulate sustainable transformation, utilization and productivity of the region’s bio-resources.

I wish you all a very happy festive season and an incoming year filled with peace, joy, productivity and prosperity.

Seyoum Leta (PhD)
Bio-Innovate Program Manager

Bio-Innovate Program is supporting nine regional and multidisciplinary projects in Eastern Africa

BioInnovate-Africa — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:16:31 +0000

The Bio-resources Innovations Network for Eastern Africa Development (Bio-Innovate) Program is a newly established multidisciplinary competitive funding mechanism, for biosciences and product oriented innovation activities in Eastern Africa, through the bioresources innovation fund, supporting applications for regional, multi-disciplinary innovation projects in Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The Bio-Innovate niche is characterized by a focus on the applications of bio-resource innovations, to support sustainable growth and transformation of the agricultural and environmental sub-sectors, from primary production to value addition, while enhancing adaptability to climatic change and strengthening innovation policy.

Building on previous investments and regional initiatives, the Program is focusing on delivering new products through bioscience innovation systems involving multiple actors, including scientists, private sector, Non Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) and other development actors. A central objective of the Bio-Innovate Program is to build functional innovation consortia able to take bioscience Research for Development (R4D) and innovations to the market.

The Bio-Innovate Program is being implemented under four Thematic Areas and through nine regional, multi-disciplinary innovation and policy projects selected through the Program’s Competitive Grant Scheme (CGS). These innovation and policy project consortia are comprised of a range of value chain actors critical to span the process from science to production and markets. Involvement of market actors and other practitioners in the innovation project consortia is crucial in order to ensure that products, knowledge and new technologies emanating from the Bio-Innovate Program reach the market and specified end users.

In its first three-year phase call for proposals on “Adapting to Climate Change in Agriculture and the Environment in Eastern Africa”, the Bio-Innovate Program is supporting five innovation projects working to improve the productivity of sorghum, millet, cassava, sweet potato, potato and bean farmers; to help smallholder farmers adapt to climate change (thematic area 1); to improve the processing of wastes in the production of sisal and coffee; and to better treat waste water generated in leather processing and slaughterhouse operations (thematic area 2).

In the second call for proposals on “Innovation Incubation and Promotion of Targeted Value Chains and Bio-resources Innovation Policy and Sustainability Analysis in Eastern Africa”, The Bio-Innovate Program is supporting four innovation incubation and policy projects. The Bio-Innovate projects from the second call will help build agricultural and environmental innovation incubation and targeted value chains in the region and a supportive policy environment for bioresources innovations.

We are pleased to report that the Bio-Innovate Program Secretariat has successfully set-up and implemented the Program’s Competitive Grant Scheme. Two round calls for concept notes followed by full proposals development, review, selection and approval for funding have been made for all the four thematic areas of the Program. Nine regional, interdisciplinary innovation and policy projects were selected and approved for funding with a total fund of SEK 69.8M (USD 9.3M) over three years period through the Program’s competitive bidding process involving more than 50 implementing institutions and 100 innovation and policy consortium teams from universities, national, regional and international research organizations, national councils for Science and Technology, private sectors/ industries and development organizations from within Bio-Innovate participating countries and outside the region.

For more details contact Bio-Innovate Secretariat:

Dr. Seyoum Leta
Bio-Innovate Program Manager,
International Livestock Research Institute
P.O. Box 30709, Nairobi, Kenya
Email: s.leta@cgiar.org
Direct line: +254 (0)20 422 3216
Fax: +254 (0)20 422 3001
Website: www.bioinnovate-africa.org

Bio-Innovate Program Funds four projects from the Second Call for Concept Notes

BioInnovate-Africa — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:00:23 +0000

In response to the Second Call for Concept Notes on ‘Innovation Incubation and Promotion of Targeted Value Chains and Bio-resources Innovation Policy and Sustainability Analysis in Eastern Africa’, the Bio-Innovate Program received a total of 21 Concept Notes from applicants from the six Bio-Innovate Program participating countries of Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. After the preliminary screening of the concept notes by the Bio-Innovate Program secretariat against the initial criteria, 11 concept notes pre-qualified for further evaluation by the external technical review panel. The technical evaluation process of the eligible concept notes from the second call by the external reviewers was carried out from 15th February – 7th March 2011.

The Bio-Innovate Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), at its 3rd meeting held on 14th and 15th April 2011 selected 6 concept notes to be further developed into full proposals. The meetings of consortium teams of the qualified concepts to develop full proposals were facilitated by the Bio-innovate Program secretariat. The full proposals were evaluated by 3-4 external reviewers from 27th May – 17th June, 2011. The qualified proposals were presented to the TAC for funding consideration.

We are pleased to report that Bio-Innovate Program will support the following four innovation incubation and policy projects consortia over a period of three years:

Use of biosciences for value addition and diversification to enhance commercialization of sorghum and millet products in Eastern Africa; Lead institution: Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania
Bio-enhanced seeds and seedlings for east Africa; Lead institution: Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
Industrial enzymes for sustainable bio-economy: Large scale production and application in industry, environment and agriculture; Lead Institution: Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
The Biosciences innovation policy analysis for Eastern Africa; Lead institution: Uganda National Council for Science and Technology, Uganda

The first three projects focus on innovation incubation and promotion of targeted value chains (Thematic area 3), and the last project focuses on biosciences innovation policy and sustainability analysis in eastern Africa (Thematic area 4). The innovation incubation and policy projects from the second call will be supported for three years period (August 2011- July 2014) with a total fund of SEK 26, 250,000 (approximately, USD 3,500,000).

The Bio-Innovate projects from the second call will help build agricultural and environmental innovation incubation and targeted value chains in the region and a supportive policy environment for bioresources innovations.
For more details

Contact Bio-Innovate Secretariat:

Study finds gene clues to African cattle disease

BioInnovate-Africa — Thu, 19 May 2011 13:05:39 +0000

N'Dama herd in West Africa. (Photo: ILRI)

… ILRI, has made great strides in their research into the devastating livestock disease ‘sleeping sickness’, as is captured in the article below, published in the local dailies.

Scientists studying the tsetse fly-borne disease “sleeping sickness” and a devastating version found in cattle say they have found two genes that may rescue the livelihoods of millions of farmers in a tsetse fly-plagued regions Sub-Saharan Africa.

Research results from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Africa and the University of Liverpool, were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The researchers drew on the fact that while the humped cattle breeds characteristic of much of Africa are susceptible to disease-causing trypanosome parasites, a humpless West African breed, called the N’Dama, is not seriously affected by the disease.

… “The two genes discovered in this research could provide a way for cattle breeders to identify the animals that are best at resisting disease when infected with trypanosome parasites, which are transmitted to animals and people by the bite of infected tsetse flies,” said author Steve Kemp, a geneticist on joint appointment with the Nairobi-based ILRI and University of Liverpool.

Sweden gives $12m for food security project

BioInnovate-Africa — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:01:14 +0000

From Left to Right: Kikki Nordin, Regional Team Leader, Environment and Economic Development (REED),Sida; Claes Kjellström, representative of the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) at the Embassy of Sweden in Nairobi; Björn Häggmark, Minister, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Sweden. (photo credit: ILRI/Nairobi).

The Swedish government has launched a $12 million programme that provides grants to bioscientists working to improve food production and environmental management in Eastern Africa in what could help the region boost its food security.

The Bioresources Innovation Network for Eastern Africa Development (Bio-Innovate) Programme — the first of its kind in Africa — provides competitive grants to African researchers who are working with the private sector and non-governmental organisations to find ways to improve food security, boost resilience to climate change and identify environmentally sustainable ways of producing food.

The Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) backed programme that will be managed by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi will in the first three years support five research-based projects working to improve the productivity of sorghum, millet, cassava, sweet potato and bean farmers; to help smallholder farmers adapt to climate change; to improve the processing of wastes in the production of sisal and coffee; and to better treat waste water generated in leather processing and slaughterhouse operations.

Farmers to benefit from BioInnovate grants

BioInnovate-Africa — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:31:51 +0000

Participants at the Bio-Innovate launch at the ILRI campus in Nairobi on 16 March 2011 (photo credit: ILRI).

A new programme that provides grants to bio-scientists working to improve food production and environmental management in Eastern Africa was launched on March 16, 2011 at the Nairobi headquarters of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).

According to a press release from Nairobi, the newly established Bio-resources Innovation Network for Eastern Africa Development (Bio-Innovate) Programme provides competitive grants to African researchers.

The grants are meant for researchers who are working with the private sector and non-governmental organisations to find ways of improving food security, boost resilience to climate change and identify environmentally sustainable ways of producing food.

In its first three-year-phase, the programme is supporting five research-based projects working to improve the productivity of sorghum, millet, cassava, sweet potato, and bean farmers. It also helps farmers to adapt to climate change; to improve the processing of wastes in the production of sisal and coffee and to better treat waste water generated in leather processing and slaughter house operations.

In a second call for proposals, beginning June 2011, Bio-Innovate will help build agricultural commodity “value chains” in the region and a supportive policy environment for bio-resource innovations.

The five-year-programme is funded by a $12m grant from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). Bio-Innovate is managed by ILRI and co-located within the Biosciences Eastern and Central Africa (BECA) Hub at ILRI’s Nairobi campus. Bio-Innovate will be implemented in Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

“By emphasising innovations to help drive crop production in the six partner countries, Bio-Innovate is working at the heart of one of the region’s greatest challenges—that of providing enough food in the face of climate change, diversifying crops and addressing productivity constraints that are threatening the livelihoods of millions,” said Carlos Seré, ILRI’s director general. An increasingly large number of poor people in the developing world are food insecure. In sub-Saharan Africa, where agricultural production relies on rain fed smallholder farming, hunger, environmental degradation and climate change present a triple threat to individual, community and national development. In Eastern Africa alone, over 100 million people depend on agriculture to meet their fundamental economic and nutritional needs. Although some three-quarters of the African population are involved in farming or herding, investment in African agricultural production has continued to lag behind population growth rates for several decades, with the result that the continent has been unable to achieve sustainable economic and social development.

Biosciences key to Africa feeding itself–Calestous Juma

BioInnovate-Africa — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 11:52:01 +0000

The International Livestock Research Institute website features an interview with Calestous Juma, director of the Science, Technology and Globalization Project at the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, during the Bio-Innovate official launch in Nairobi on 16 march, 2011.

In the interview, Juma, an eminent Kenyan bioscientist, says that biosciences offer many regions in Africa an opportunity to produce surplus food for the first time.

Watch the short (2-minute) filmed interview of Calestous Juma by ILRI: Biosciences will be the key that allows Africa to feed itself, March 2011.