Media Release

1 November 2022

Partnership to strengthen agri-food systems across southeast Asia and the Pacific

Scientists in Southeast Asia and across the Pacific will work together to help transform agri-food systems, under a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to be signed between The University of Queensland and the world’s largest global agricultural innovation network, CGIAR.

The agreement will be an extension of a longstanding partnership between UQ and CGIAR and both organisation’s commitment to sustainable development.

The MoA will be signed by UQ Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry  AO and Jean Balié, Regional Director, South East Asia and Pacific, CGIAR, and Director General of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) as a highlight of the TropAg Conference.

It’s anticipated that the MoA will enable the development of joint research proposals across the region to deliver impact, reduce poverty and enhance food and nutrition security in developing countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

UQ graduates will be hosted and supervised at CGIAR offices and research facilities, and postgraduate education partnerships will be developed for CGIAR-affiliated students enrolled at UQ.

Photo opportunity
Date: Tuesday, November 1, 2022
Time: 5:30PM to 5:45PM (AEST)
Location: Plenary stage, Plaza Auditorium, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Glenelg St, South Brisbane

Media contacts: Natalie MacGregor, UQ media, n.macgregor@uq.edu.au, +61 (0)409 135 651 and Ruby Shaira Panela, IRRI Media Relations Specialist, r.panela@irri.org

CGIAR (formerly the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) is the world’s largest global agricultural innovation network. It comprises 15 international agricultural research centres, with more than 9,000 scientists working in low and lower-middle-income countries. The centres work towards a world free of poverty, hunger, malnutrition and environmental degradation. https://www.aciar.gov.au/Multilateral-Partnerships/cgiar

The University of Queensland (UQ) is one of Australia’s top research-intensive universities, addressing many of the cultural, economic and social challenges facing the world today. UQ’s six faculties, eight globally recognised research institutes and 100+ research centres attract an interdisciplinary community of more than 1500 scientists, social scientists and engineers who champion research excellence and continue UQ’s tradition of research leadership. UQ is ranked #1 in Australia and #4 in the world for agriculture research (NTU performance rankings of scientific papers for world universities 2022).