Tag: Science Week

Innovation and Partnerships for a Food, Nutrition, and Climate-Secure Future

Written by dmedina on March 6, 2025. Posted in News.

Every two years, CIMMYT hosts its Science and Innovation Week (SIW), a moment not only for reflection but also for action. SIW2025 is more than a gathering; it is a call to action, challenging us to create lasting change and transformative impact. Each day, we wake up with a bold mission: to make our work meaningful to the ultimate beneficiaries – smallholder farmers.

To kick off this year’s Science Week, CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaerts reminded participants that at the heart of our work is real-world impact. More than an opportunity to evaluate strategies, Science Week is about envisioning and driving the future of food systems.

“CIMMYT’s work connects communities worldwide, from labs to corn harvests. Your tireless research deserves accolades as profound as a Nobel Prize” said Ted McKinney, CEO of the JS National Association of State Departments of agriculture, NASDA & Former USDA Undersecretary. Recognizing this urgency, CIMMYT convened leading scientists, researchers, and decision-makers at its headquarters in Texcoco, Mexico, for Science Week 2025.

This flagship event brought together experts at the intersection of agriculture, climate and food security to foster collaboration and inspire action for resilient food systems. With CIMMYT’s research agenda focused on addressing the world’s most pressing agricultural challenges, Science Week served as a key platform to shape the future of innovation, strengthen partnerships, and accelerate impact on global food security. Through knowledge sharing and strategic discussions, participants explored transformative solutions that will empower smallholder farmers, build crop resilience, and ensure a sustainable future for food systems worldwide.

A platform for collaboration and innovation

The first day set the stage for a dynamic exchange of ideas, bringing together global experts to address agriculture’s most pressing challenges. Discussions explored climate-smart agriculture, the role of digital transformation, and the resilience of seed systems, highlighting the need for innovation to ensure food security. Advances in crop breeding and cutting-edge research took center stage, reinforcing CIMMYT’s commitment to developing scalable, science-based solutions that empower farmers.

Sessions covered a wide range of topics, including climate-smart agriculture, digital transformation in agriculture, resilience of seed systems, and advances in crop breeding. High-level panels and thought leaders highlighted the importance of collaboration, from integrating AI and strategic partnerships to amplifying research impact, while deep diving into CIMMYT’s scientific breakthroughs. The challenge was clear: think beyond the event, push boundaries, and make a meaningful impact that extends far beyond this week.

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From data-driven decision-making to sustainable food production, discussions reinforced the need for strategic collaboration, digital transformation, and responsible innovation. With a strong focus on open data and climate resilience, day two underscored CIMMYT’s commitment to translating science into real-world impact for farmers and food systems worldwide.

With CIMMYT generating around 122 datasets annually, experts stressed the importance of improving data quality, integrating new information, and standardizing workflows for greater transparency and efficiency. The discussions also tackled food security, conflict, and economic instability. With 8.4 million people affected by food insecurity in Latin America and the Caribbean, experts highlighted the urgent need for social protection systems, digital solutions, and adaptive policies.

Moving forward, CIMMYT must bridge science and action, ensuring that research translates into tangible solutions for farmers and food systems worldwide – because resilience is not just an option; it is the foundation of sustainable agriculture.

Scientific excellence in action

As Science Week 2025 drew to a close, discussions focused on two key themes: partnerships and communicating impact. To kick off the session, Aaron Maniam, Fellow of Practice and Director, Digital Transformation Education, Oxford University Blavatnik School, challenged participants to rethink collaboration – not just as coordination but as a balance between integration and fragmentation. Collaboration is non-negotiable, and positioning CIMMYT as the partner of choice will be critical to advancing its mission.

Today’s challenges are too complex to tackle alone, and strategic partnerships are essential to amplify impact, leverage resources, and scale innovation. But successful partnerships go beyond collaboration – they require trust and shared goals. Science must be accessible, compelling, and strategically packaged to engage diverse audiences and drive real-world change. As we move forward, the challenge is clear: Embrace, amplify, and boldly communicate our impact to shape the future of food and agriculture. The work does not stop here, this is just the beginning of the next chapter in transforming global food systems for a food and nutrition secure world.

How to get your high-impact research published in leading journals: top tips from the Senior Editor of Nature Genetics

Written by on August 2, 2018. Posted in Features.

At CIMMYT’s Science Week 2018, Nature Genetics Senior Editor Catherine Potenski spoke on how to publish plant genomics research that has broad, novel impact.

Catherine Potenski, Senior Editor of Nature Genetics, talks to participants of CIMMYT's Science Week on June 26, 2018. (Photo: Alfonso Cortés/CIMMYT) — Catherine Potenski, Senior Editor of Nature Genetics, talks to participants of CIMMYT’s Science Week on June 26, 2018. (Photo: Alfonso Cortés/CIMMYT)

Having research that is high-impact is not only critical to doing excellent science that has meaning, but also a premier way to let the research community know what you are doing and reach a broader audience, according to Catherine Potenski, Senior Editor at Nature Genetics, one of the more than 70 high-quality academic journals of publishing company Springer Nature.

“Plant genomics is an exciting field that is a priority for Nature Genetics given climate change and other challenges,” said Potenski. “We look for studies with novelty, a genetics scope and resource value.”

Nature Genetics is highly selective and publishes approximately 200 papers per year. Potenski wants to make the editorial review process more productive and simple for researchers so they can share their best work.

“You should organize your paper to highlight the impact of the findings and write a cover letter that places your work in context, highlighting what gap of knowledge it fills and how others will use this research,” explained Potenski. In addition, scientists should target the right journal for their research. In case of doubt, they can send a pre-submission inquiry and work with editors.

Impact is not always immediate, and the impact factor is not necessarily a good or proven metric. “The first CRISPR articles published in the early 2000s are now very impactful, but nobody knew the impact they would have then. Just because it is not in a high-impact journal, it does not mean it is not high-impact,” she said.

Potenski shared the six questions plant researchers should ask themselves when submitting research to Nature Genetics.

Is my main approach genetic?

Your main analyses should be based on genetic screens, Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) mapping, genome re-sequencing or other genetic approaches. If the main analysis of a paper is in transcriptomics, imaging or biochemistry, this could be considered off scope (but fine if they are secondary analyses).

Are the findings highly novel?

Your research should reflect a new method or finding that is really groundbreaking. Findings that just provide insight into a known process, are confirmatory or incremental do not meet Nature’s standards. If the finding is only new for a specific crop, that might also not be sufficiently novel.

Is there a large user group for the data?

Bigger is usually always better; you want your research to apply to or benefit as many people as possible. If the crop you are studying is widely consumed like wheat, or you have a large study scope such as large-scale GWAS (Genome-Wide Association Study) analysis, that will impact many more people than if you are studying watermelons using single QTL mapping.

Is this a very large or unique dataset?

You want large, high-quality datasets and analyses that are unique and other groups cannot easily repeat. Ideally this leads to a new approach in your field. Data that are open and easily available, and studies using the latest technologies also get priority.

Do the findings provide biological insights?

You want people reading your study to learn something new about plant biology. Instead of merely reporting domestication patterns, you want something new about the mechanisms of evolution or adaptation. Editors look for comprehensive, molecular mechanistic insight into the processes studied.

Is there evidence for crop improvement?

Editors prioritize studies with potential for crop improvement, especially in the context of climate change and food security. You want your research to be demonstrated in a crop plant, ideally in the physical plant and not in a model simulation.

Unleashing innovation at CIMMYT

Written by on July 27, 2018. Posted in Features.

CIMMYT staff share lessons learned at UNLEASH innovation labs with colleagues

Jennifer Johnson (first from right) and her team at UNLEASH 2018 work on solutions to improve nutrition for adolescent girls in Nepal. (Photo: Jennifer Johnson)

Four young staff members from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) are working to bring home lessons learned at UNLEASH to foster innovation across CIMMYT programs. UNLEASH is a global innovation lab that brings together people from all over the world to transform personal insights into hundreds of ideas and build lasting global networks around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The annual event, which began in 2017 and is scheduled to occur each year until 2030, brings together 1,000 selected young talents for 10 immersive days of co-creation and problem solving.

Innovation is key to finding solutions to major global challenges such as hunger, climate change and sustainability. However, innovation cannot occur in a vacuum – the strongest and most inclusive solutions are often interdisciplinary approaches developed by a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. What sets UNLEASH apart from other innovation labs and processes is this commitment to diversity, as well as its focus on the Sustainable Development Goals.

While at UNLEASH 2017 in Denmark, CIMMYT staff Aziz Karimov, Daniela Vega and David Guerena were part of 200 teams that were split across 10 ‘folk high schools’ in the Danish countryside. There, they worked through an innovation process with facilitators and experts, refined their ideas to contribute to the SDGs and finally reconvened in the city of Aarhus to pitch the solutions they had developed.

Jennifer Johnson, Maize Communications Officer at CIMMYT, attended the UNLEASH Innovation Lab 2018 in Singapore last June. She worked alongside a diverse team of young people to develop solutions to improve nutrition for adolescent girls in Nepal.

The UNLEASH innovation process has five main phases: problem framing, ideation, prototyping, testing and implementing. “UNLEASH is really about finding and framing the problem,” said Vega, a projects coordinator and liaison officer for the Americas at CIMMYT and UNLEASH 2017 alumna. “Innovation is 90 percent about understanding the problem. Once you get that right, everything that follows becomes easier,” she explained.

Daniela Vega (third from left), UNLEASH 2017 alumna, leads CIMMYT colleagues in a breakout session on innovation during Science Week. (Photo: Alfonso Arredondo/CIMMYT)

Johnson, Guerena and Vega held a session on innovation and lessons learned at UNLEASH at CIMMYT’s Science Week 2018. Participants were walked through an abridged version of the UNLEASH innovation process to develop creative solutions to real-world problems relating to agriculture. The session emphasized diversity, respect and creativity, which are central tenets of both CIMMYT and UNLEASH.

“One of the key takeaways I got from UNLEASH was the power of diversity and collaboration,” said Guerena, a soil scientist and systems agronomist at CIMMYT who participated in UNLEASH 2017. “The diversity of the participants and collaboration lead to better solutions.”

Vega agreed. “People come from different backgrounds, geographically and professionally, and the level of cooperation and openness with no judgement is essential. We all share a similar value set, we are here because we want to make the world a better place by solving problems on a very hands-on level.”

In just one hour, participants of the CIMMYT session formed diverse teams, developed problem framings, brainstormed potential solutions and gave a three-minute pitch presenting their solution to the audience. Participants expressed extreme satisfaction with what they had learned and the innovation process they had been guided through, as well as interest in participating in similar programs in the future.

“This is a great idea, a very good experience. Often creativity doesn’t get enough attention,” said Lennart Woltering, CIMMYT scaling expert.

“This is fantastic and I’m going to adopt it. This is a great way to introduce concepts such as gender,” said Rahma Adam, CIMMYT gender and development specialist.

In the future, CIMMYT’s UNLEASH alumna hope to continue sharing their experience with colleagues and implementing lessons learned within their work.

“Unleash helps young people to think freely and differently,” said Karimov, a CIMMYT development economist whose team won second place in UNLEASH 2017’s ‘Sustainable Consumption & Production’ category which targeted Goal 12 of the SDGs. “We think innovation is something very complicated but by attending UNLEASH I realized that very simple moves can make a big change. You start believing that what is not possible is actually very possible. You just have to have will and strong desire.”

Agricultural and development economist Aziz Karimov (left photo, fifth from left) and soil scientist and systems agronomist David Guerena (right photo, fifth from left) represented CIMMYT at UNLEASH Innovation Lab 2017. (Photos: UNLEASH)