Creating effective partnerships along innovation value chains

Our VisionTo develop into a Program of excellence that contributes to sustainable and integrated utilization of bio-resources for economic growth and development of eastern Africa.

Our MissionTo create and promote bio-resource based innovation systems for sustainable utilization and integration of the innovations into eastern Africa’s economic development processes.

Our FocusThe application of bio-resource innovations to support sustainable growth and transformation of the agricultural and environmental subsectors from primary production to value addition, while enhancing adaptability to climatic change and strengthening innovation policy. The nine consortia projects are comprised of a range of value chain actors critical to span the process from science to production and markets.

What is Bio-Innovate Program?

The Bio-resources Innovations Network for Eastern Africa Development (Bio-Innovate) Program was established to support multidisciplinary biosciences and product oriented innovation activities in the eastern Africa countries of Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Currently, the program comprises of 9 innovation and policy consortia projects and 57 institutions drawn from the six countries.

Our strategyTo support and ensure delivery of developed innovation technologies the Program has created innovation platforms linking key actors along the innovation value chain including scientists, private sector, civil society, and other development practitioners. These players change depending on the nature of the innovation being developed.

Our purposea) To strengthen crop innovation systems to

improve productivity and enhance food and nutrition security in the region.

b) To develop, promote and deliver innovations on sustainable waste treatment and on securing freshwater resources, on producing bio-energy from renewable bio-resources and on mitigating climatic change.

c) To develop innovative agricultural, environmental, and industrial technologies that stimulates the sustainable transformation, utilization, and productivity of the region’s bio-resources.

d) To strengthen and operationalize an enabling mechanism for mobilization, catalysis and nurturing of a strong bio-resource and science-led economic growth agenda for eastern Africa.

Program management The Program Management Office (PMO) manages the Program under the direction of the Bio-Innovate Program Manager. An independent technical advisory committee (TAC) provides technical oversight on program activities, peer review expertise for the competitive grant scheme (CGS), and program

monitoring and evaluation. An independent expert panel provides scientific and technical review

support for concept notes and full proposals when Calls for

Proposals are made. In addition, project consortia leaders responsible for their respective projects provide technical support to the PMO.

Promoting biosciences and product-oriented innovations in eastern Africa

Bio-resources Innovations Network for Eastern Africa Development

(Bio-Innovate) Program

Programmatic activities The Program is focusing on four thematic areas and through nine regional, multidisciplinary innovation and policy consortia projects selected through the Program’s competitive grant scheme. These nine consortia projects were selected following two rounds of calls.

The First Call focused on Adapting to Climate Change in Agriculture and the Environment in Eastern Africa. The call resulted in five consortia projects working to:

· Help smallholder farmers adapt to climate change by developing and deploying improved varieties of sorghum, millet, cassava, sweet potato, potato and beans

· Develop agro-industrial waste and wastewater treatment pilot-scale technologies and production of value added products including bio-energy, mushrooms and bio-fertilizer from waste generated from slaughter houses, sisal, coffee, banana, leather processing.

Second Call focused on Innovation Incubation and Promotion of Targeted Value Chains and Bio-resources Innovation Policy and Sustainability Analysis in Eastern Africa and is supporting four projects geared towards:

· Using biosciences to develop value added products from sorghum and millet; develop seed bio-enhancement and industrial enzymes technologies; conduct pilot-scale testing for economic feasibility, marketability and acceptability of these products.

· Creating an enabling supportive policy environment for bio-resources innovations diffusion and uptake.

www.bioinnovate-africa.org

For more details, contact

Dr Seyoum Leta, Bio-Innovate Program Manager, International Livestock Research Institute,

P.O. Box 30709 Nairobi, KenyaEmail: S.Leta@cgiar.org

Direct line: +254 (0) 20 422 3216Fax: +254 (0) 20 422 3001

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