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Panel Recommendations |
ICRISAT's Response |
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1. The Panel endorses the pursuit of research on methodologies, such as participatory breeding, that could provide new and powerful tools and approaches toward germplasm evaluation and enhancement, and because of the potential power of molecular biology to address some of the more pressing limitations to crop production in the SAT, the Panel recommends that the present commodity improvement programmes of ICRISAT at Patancheru should evolve into a global germplasm strategic research effort with germplasm evaluation and enhancement components that would provide intermediate products to commodity improvement programmes operated by ICRISAT in Africa and NARS in all continents in a partnership mode. |
Response: ICRISAT accepts the recommendation, and view it as an acceleration of an ongoing process. However, sufficient linkages to applied work must be maintained to enable the effective transfer of these strategic outputs to partner institutions. Action taken: Much progress has been made in strengthening global synergies between ICRISAT's genetic enhancement work in Asia and Africa and in unifying them into a cohesive global programme. · The cutting-edge Applied Genomics Lab (AGL) created since the Fourth EPMR works on high-priority traits identified by breeders on both continents [for example, resistance to groundnut rosette virus, resistance to Helicoverpa spp. and sorghum stem borer]. These genes as well as others discovered in screening the gene bank collection in Asia, are bred into parental lines (intermediate products) at Patancheru, which are then sent in early generation stages to Africa for further testing, crossing and selection for regional adaptation. This is a highly effective and cost-efficient global R&D model taking advantage of the low costs and high technical capabilities available in India and at ICRISAT's long-established Headquarters in Patancheru. · Continuous feedback from staff based in Africa is highly influential in guiding the priorities of genetic enhancement work in Asia. Presently, there is at least one breeder for each mandate crop in Asia; and two each in Africa for sorghum, millet, and groundnut (agronomy, physiology and selection work are also carried out on chickpea and pigeonpea in Africa, although these crops are less important on that continent). These Africa-based staff participate vigorously in the annual Workplan Meetings and play a major role in designing the global annual work programme, and remain in close contact with their Asia-based colleagues year-round. · African researchers also influence the Asian agenda in other ways. A prime example of this Asia-Africa synergy in action is the continuing initiative to stay several steps ahead of the devastating downy mildew disease of millet. African germplasm contributed resistance that saved the Asian crop (and won ICRISAT its first King Baudouin Award in 1996). Based on field observations from scientists based in Africa, scientists in Asia have continued to monitor the disease race pattern in Africa using host-pathogen race differentials, molecular markers and genetic analysis. Since the recent creation of the AGL, they have been able to add powerful molecular marker approaches to accelerate the pyramiding of resistance genes appropriate to resist African pathogen configurations. · Participatory methods have become a major feature of ICRISAT's plant breeding work. ICRISAT was a CGIAR pioneer in this area with the participatory breeding of Okashana-1 millet in Namibia in the 1980s and in-depth studies of farmer varietal choices for millet in Rajasthan, India in the 1990s. This approach has been extended to sorghum in Mali since the Fourth EPMR. The approach is also being taken with leguminous crops. The recently released, highly successful chickpea variety 'Swetha' in Andhra Pradesh (King Baudouin Award 2002) was identified and popularized by farmers. The groundnut cultivar CG-7 in Malawi was extensively tested by farmers before release and seed dissemination is being realized through a farmer-to-farmer plan. To better understand how farmers share seed and change varieties, as an alternative to top-down and often ineffective state seed distribution, in-depth research is underway from ICRISAT-Nairobi on farmer's seed systems and markets. · ICARDA and ICRISAT (as co-proposers of the DDPA Challenge Programme), with leading-edge input from the renowned nonprofit biotech organization TIGR, jointly proposed a novel approach called "Participatory Biotech" to perform molecular marker analysis on lines identified by farmers such as stress-resistant, including their traditional as well as improved varieties. Through this 'stress microarray' approach, superior field resistance will be associated with markers that can then be used to pyramid valuable genes more efficiently, through iterative stages of farmer field-testing and breeder crossing/pyramiding. Panel's comments: The Centre accepted the recommendation and implemented it as promised. The Panel commends ICRISAT for building an exemplary global germplasm strategic research unit. The Centre is now in a position to strengthen this effort through a set of strategic alliances. The Panel notes the actions taken by ICRISAT to put up physical facilities for biotechnology and including all stakeholders in setting the research agenda and priorities of the germplasm enhancement programme. However, the Panel believes that ICRISAT fell short in its efforts to achieve the full operational integration of the plant breeding and biotechnology activities in all mandate crops. Due to various problems ICRISAT does not have sufficiently strong plant breeding programmes for its mandate crops in Africa at this time. |
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2. In view of ICRISAT's large international genebank holdings of its mandate crops, its world class research facilities at Patancheru and the need for greater emphasis on strategic research in germplasm of SAT crops, the Panel recommends that ICRISAT adopt a new paradigm in strategic germplasm research using all necessary disciplines and 'new science' to exploit, more scientifically, systematically and fully, the genetic endowment represented in the genebank. |
Response: This recommendation is accepted. Since ICRISAT's germplasm collection has no equal, its fuller exploitation using cutting-edge science will position the Institute in a leadership role, and should attract strong global collaboration and donor support. Action taken: The period since the Fourth EPMR has seen great progress in the acquisition of new-science skills and facilities in the areas of molecular genetics, immunology, bioinformatics and GIS, and in their application towards germplasm enhancement in an integrated paradigm with multidisciplinary field research. · Examples include: molecular diversity assessment to improve gene bank characterization and underpin breeding efforts to increase diversity, including the creation of regional core subsets; developing molecular tools and methodologies to enable "allelic mining" of the genebank, for speedier and more cost-efficient discovery of valuable new genes; the application of GIS to relate adaptive characteristics of genebank accessions to climatic and latitudinal zones; the improvement of monoclonal antibody techniques for more precise pathogenic race determination and resistance screening; major advances in genetic transformation methods and their application; and many others. · To place this initiative on a firm foundation, it was essential to immediately strengthen the operations, procedures and facilities of ICRISAT's genebanks. Major investments were approved for this purpose despite severe funding pressure on the Institute. International standards for the safe maintenance of the collection were implemented, including the transfer of thousands of accessions into long-term storage for greater safety. Safety duplication agreements were implemented for all mandate crops. Baseline viability testing was carried out to safeguard the quality of the most active collections. Genebank scientists have published the results of this work in numerous international refereed journal articles. · To ensure the completeness of collections and their accessibility and utilization by national programmes especially in Africa (an approach endorsed by the CGIAR Systemwide Review of Plant Breeding Methodologies), regional gene banks and working collections were established in Southern and Eastern Africa under the auspices of regional organizations. Panel's comments: The Centre accepted this recommendation and anticipated strong global collaboration and donor support. The Panel recognizes the accomplishments of the Centre but notes that it has not (yet) had the desired effect on donor support. The Panel feels that ICRISAT has made substantial progress in this area. The Panel is of the view that the actions taken to date are just the beginning of the strategic germplasm research of SAT crops and urges ICRISAT to continue to make significant contributions to generate IPGs in this area of research. |
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3. Because the Panel strongly supports the use of watersheds by ICRISAT as a basis for understanding production constraints, and notes the existence of seven on-station watershed experiments which occupy an area of 80 ha at Patancheru; and because the long-term data accumulating from these experiments are very valuable and already have been used in development and validation of biophysical production models; and considering that very few such watershed research facilities exist in the developing world and that their presence at Patancheru is unique in the SAT, the Panel recommends that ICRISAT give high priority to the maintenance of watershed facilities and studies at Patancheru, and in particular to the maintenance and analysis of the data which have accumulated over time from these experiments. |
Response: We agree that these studies are important, but need to examine them in the context of the overall research agenda. In view of declining resources and the EPMR recommendation to refocus resource management research on Africa, those aspects of the Patancheru watershed studies, which have global implications and transferability, will be viewed as the most important. The analysis and documentation of accumulated results will also be a high priority. Actions taken: · In view of declining resources, watersheds BW1 and BW2 have been taken out of active research yet maintained as demonstration plots for popularizing best practices identified from over two decades of research. They can be readily re-activated for research if and when funds allow. Other watersheds are used for crop improvement and management research as needed. · Considerable progress has been achieved in analyzing the accumulated data of watershed experiments. Important findings have been published on rotations and intercropping, water balance, nitrogen flows, carbon fixation, and other areas (See Appendix 1). · In response to a recommendation of the NRMP CCER, ICRISAT is rapidly mainstreaming simulation modeling as a systemic approach to integrated natural resource management. This enhances cost-efficiency and alleviates somewhat the constraint in funding for on-station field research at Patancheru. · There has been a strong shift off-station towards participatory, community-based watershed pilot projects in Asia through targeted donor support. These projects are highly successful and are attracting increasing attention and support. With the transfer of a soil/water management expert from India to Nairobi, efforts are underway to extend community-based watershed activities to East Africa, including to new sites in Ethiopia. · On the recommendation of the NRMP CCER, consideration is being given to holding a workshop on future exploitation of the watersheds, perhaps bringing together experts involved in these and similar watershed work in India, and elsewhere. Since the last NRMP CCER ICRISAT have undertaken a number of activities to look at potential south-south linkages in watershed development. Since 2002, GT3 Asia have been carrying out a number of synthesis studies, including meetings, to document the process behind watershed development, to identify the enabling conditions, to articulate the lessons learned to date, and to project the way forward. · Based largely on its recognized watershed and soil management expertise, ICRISAT was asked by the East African (ASARECA) region to coordinate the European Union-funded 'Soil Water Management Network for Eastern Africa' (SWMNet). This network joins the collective experiences of 9 East African countries in a coordinated approach. Close linkages are maintained between the Asian and African teams with sharing of knowledge, methodologies and approaches. Panel's comments: The Centre agreed to the principle of the recommendation, but with a significant caveat that, under financial constraints, the IPG component of the watersheds would be given priority. The Centre has turned some watersheds into demonstration units but maintains some for research. Watershed work has moved off campus, but largely remained in Asia. Data analysis is progressing. The Panel considers some of the work off-site or outside the mandate zone to be activities in which ICRISAT does not have a comparative advantage and regrets the slow progress in transferring this work to Africa. |
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4. In the light of: (a) the need to rationalize the balance and emphasis of natural resources management (NRM) research activities between Africa and Asia; (b) the complexity of NRM research, (c) the history and present state of NRM research of ICRISAT; (d) the need to adopt an Integrated NRM (INRM) research framework in Africa; (e) the need to give priority to strategic germplasm research at Patancheru while reducing commodity improvement and NRM work in India; and (f) the Panel's proposal to focus the bulk of the INRM work in Africa, the Panel recommends that the Institute should undertake a collaborative strategic planning exercise in INRM to formulate research priorities and operational strategies, particularly in fostering effective partnerships with NARS. |
Response: ICRISAT agrees with the need, but feel that it is already being addressed through a number of past and current reviews. These involved extensive interactions with NARS, for example in the formative stages of the Desert Margins Programme, as well as in other cases. These will continue, in parallel with the execution of agreed aspects of the joint agenda. Actions taken: ICRISAT has engaged in a continuing series of reviews and consultations since the Fourth EPMR to increase the effectiveness and relevance of its INRM work and foster the shift of emphasis to Africa, while advancing its work on focused topics in Asia as well (see Rec. 3). · Building on earlier CCERs on Soil and Water Management, NRM Research in West Africa, and NRM Research in Southern Africa, a comprehensive CCER on the Natural Resources Management Programme was carried out in 2001. The NRM CCER Panel confirmed that a major shift in effort to Africa had taken place. The Panel was impressed with the close-knit collaborative arrangements with the NARS in Africa. · In 1999, ICRISAT engaged in an Institute-wide development of its 'Africa Agenda', a forward-looking strategy that involved NRM as well as commodity aspects. The Africa Agenda identified poor soil fertility as the most widespread limitation to improving agricultural productivity on the continent. It positioned the Centre's programmes and approaches for addressing this and related NRM constraints to achieving greater impact on the continent. · ICRISAT actively participated in, and contributed to, CGIAR-wide thinking through participation at the Penang, Cali and Aleppo INRM workshops, as well as through OSWU. ICRISAT has adopted the INRM framework for its own research. A consistent point championed by ICRISAT and accepted by the group is that INRM must look beyond its ecological origins to also include agricultural input supply-channel and output market dimensions. This view emerged from our leading capacity and innovative research in these areas carried out at ICRISAT's Bulawayo and Nairobi locations, and more recently at ICRISAT-Niamey. · Across both Africa and within its focus areas in Asia, ICRISAT has continued to participate closely with NARS, regional organizations (ROs - (FARA and APAARI)) and subregional organizations (SROs - SADC, CORAF-WECARD, and ASARECA) and their affiliated regional networks and institutions in their and our strategy and planning meetings. From these events ICRISAT staff keep well informed about regional priorities, and actively contribute their own insights and advice to these deliberations. · NARS have strong confidence in ICRISAT's partnership commitment in NRM. ICRISAT was invited to coordinate a new network in the ASARECA zone (East Africa) on Soil and Water Management (SWMNet). ICRISAT'S Bulawayo partner activities was nominated by SADC and chosen by FARA as 'Best Partnership' in 2001. In a unique example of active partnership, ICRISAT jointly established and staffed a GIS lab for the West Africa region, with the national programme of Mali in Bamako. · As a major strategic evolution, ICRISAT has substantially strengthened its innovation in participatory approaches to NRM, developed and implemented in close partnership with NARS. In Southern Africa, the Institute built a reputation for participatory soil-water-nutrient management research, involving farmers in identifying and selecting among a suite of different options most relevant to their own situations. It has also initiated strong research on farmer-to-farmer technology dissemination; on farmer and village-scale agro-enterprise development; and on the utilization of farmer knowledge for cropping systems diversification. In Western Africa, the Desert Margins Programme has been highly consultative and participatory in its approach, depending heavily on national initiatives implemented by supporting NARS (both financially and through capacity-building) to carry out participatory consultations with farmers and communities to set priorities. In Asia, the watershed initiative has fundamentally redirected its approach towards participatory community-based development. Panel's comments: ICRISAT did not accept this recommendation as it felt the strategic plan was in place. Yet, it continued reviews and consultations. ICRISAT feels that, through its actions it has shown that it has shifted its emphasis to Africa while re-focusing its INRM work in Asia. This was done in a process of extensive consultation. The Panel agrees that some initiatives were taken to implement this recommendation, but sees the implementation as inconsistent and incomplete. |
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5. Given the proposed shift to greater emphasis on strategic research within ICRISAT, thereby allowing the Centre to become a 'magnet centre' for research on major global problems (e.g., strategic research in germplasm and natural resources management); the complementary talents in NARS and ARIs of both developing and developed countries with those in ICRISAT; and the need to develop partnerships to exploit the strategic/applied/adaptive research continuum, the Panel recommends that ICRISAT should broaden its partnerships and deepen the strength of its efforts along the strategic applied/adaptive research continuum by continuing to develop even further its proactive visiting scientist programme, and placing greater emphasis on professional development for NARS, ARIs and ICRISAT staff. |
Response: ICRISAT concurs with the recommendation made. It recognizes that policy guidelines must be developed which reflect our priorities and those of our partners, including the relevant resource implications. Actions taken: ICRISAT has been deepening its closest and strongest partnerships - those with the NARS and their regional and subregional bodies - while also broadening them to include NGOs and the private sector, environmental groups, marketing and input supply organizations, philanthropic organizations, international initiatives, and advanced research institutions. It has also developed and tested many innovative new approaches to partnerships since the Fourth EPMR. · Partially in response to this Recommendation, ICRISAT commissioned a CCER on Partnerships and Information Management in 2000 to review and renew its strategy in this area. This CCER urged that partnership-building effort permeate all aspects of the Institutes' activities, enhanced by a consolidation of training and information-sharing functions into an Information Resource Management Programme (now the Information Resource Management Office). It also urged that the new Programme take on research activities to develop innovative approaches to enhance knowledge-sharing in support of partnerships. Such activities as setting up village electronic information centres to implement distance learning for drought preparedness and other information to empower them to overcome their poverty were implemented, with particularly strong leadership in developing ways to provide the poor with greater access to new digital technology - and the skills to make it valuable in their lives. This activity is evolving into a SAT Virtual University. · Related to the issue of the visiting scientist programme, the CCER led to a fundamental change of strategy towards to a greater emphasis on professional development - promoting learning rather than simply training. The new approach encourages learning-by-doing through direct internships of NARS scientists as active partners in major Centre research projects. This gives NARS the practical skills they increasingly need in an increasingly project-driven, competitive funding environment. The Institute established a new Learning Systems Unit headed by an IRS position to implement this approach. · An exciting example of the broadening of partnerships has been ICRISAT's catalytic role in bringing traditionally-isolated partners together from the public, private and NGO sectors. This work, much of it situated in Africa, stems from the realization that input supply channels and output markets, largely in the private sector, are key in achieving impacts from the research products generated in the public sector. Examples include the 'Sahelian Eco-farm' initiative to help farmers create more sustainable faming systems by diversify farming towards high-value crops in Niger and neighboring countries; an alliance in Southern Africa to improve farmers' access to seeds and food processors' investments in the utilization of sorghum and millet; and alliances in the Horn of Africa with the NGOs Technoserve and Catholic Relief Services to improve market outlets and seed supplies. · Major innovation in partnerships with the private sector are noteworthy. Many seed companies in India (and one in Egypt) now literally 'buy into' ICRISAT research by funding as well as actively partnering in developing new genetic systems (e.g. cytoplasmic male sterility in pigeonpea) and in advanced breeding line development. There are few comparable partnership examples in the CGIAR. · New partnerships with regional philanthropic foundations and trusts are equally noteworthy. These capitalize on ICRISAT's longstanding good relationships and record of achievement in the host country of India. The Sir Dorabji Tata Trust is helping support integrated watershed management research; and the Sehgal Foundation is contributing to sorghum and pearl millet improvement research. · Local government linkages are also bearing fruit: The Govt. of Andhra Pradesh (India) has contracted ICRISAT (using funds from a DFID project) for the technical backstopping of watershed-based research. ICRISAT has also established partnership with the poultry feed and alcohol industries in Andhra Pradesh to catalyse alternative uses for sorghum and millet. · Partnerships with sister CGIAR Centres and with advanced research institutions are being substantially broadened and strengthened through the CGIAR Challenge Programme (CP) mechanism. ICRISAT is co-leader (with ICARDA) of the Desertification, Drought, Poverty and Agriculture (DDPA) to develop a CP, and a major participant in the Biofortification and Water CPs, as well as partners in the Genetic Resources and sub-Saharan Africa CP candidates. Panel's comments: ICRISAT accepted and implemented this recommendation aggressively and innovatively. Some traditional concerns of partnerships between IARCs and NARS still exist. The Panel is not convinced that the Centre always fully analyses its comparative advantage in its partnerships and is concerned that the Centre be cognizant of the full implications of the current strategy with regard to delivery of IPGs and resources. The Panel notes ICRISAT's efforts to expand its range of partners. However, ICRISAT needs to define the appropriate terms of engagements in every partnership, guided by the issue of comparative advantage and ability to deliver IPGs. |
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6. Because the Board must deal with declining resources requiring careful assessment of priorities; because of major impending changes in the ICRISAT management; and because of shortcomings in Board oversight since the last EPMR (which highlighted the same problem) the Panel recommends that the Board be diligent in its basic functions of providing financial and management oversight, setting vision, strategy and policy; and constituting its membership in a manner appropriate to the task. |
Response: ICRISAT concurs. The Board is fully aware of its responsibilities and has taken the necessary stepslmeasures attendant to this recommendation as being manifested during the February Board meeting and particularly in the MTP for 1998-2000 and beyond. Actions taken: · Being diligent in setting vision, strategy and policy: The Board has been proactive in encouraging the management to be responsive to the changing global scenario and stakeholder expectations by reorienting the institutional Vision and Strategy appropriately. This has led to the crafting of the new long-term Vision and Strategy document to guide ICRISAT through the crucial period up to the year 2010. The Board's leadership in setting research priorities is reflected in its role in motivating Management to commission the "SAT Futures" document based on extensive stakeholder and partner consultations which was a significant input into the formulation of the long-term Vision and Strategy. Furthermore, the Board motivated Management to adopt a flatter research management structure. The Research Programmes were restructured into six Global Research Themes. As well, to ensure that research priorities are based on effective impact analysis, an Impact Assessment Unit has been established in GT 6. · Being diligent in its basic functions of providing financial and management oversight: The Board has been alert and proactive in continuously monitoring the financial situation, resource mobilization trends, and the crucial need to achieve a balanced budget. The Governing Board exercises effective financial oversight through its Finance Committee, carefully reviewing mandatory quarterly reports from management and giving appropriate instructions to the management. The three pillars of this policy are: a balanced budget, cash-flow management, and maintenance of an adequate level of reserves. The Board has been specifically instructing the management to come up with a balanced budget each year. In the event of difficulty in balancing the budget, the Board instructs the management to initiate cost-management measures so that expenses stay within available resources, thereby enabling balancing of the budget. The Board authorized two major staff rationalization exercises, one in 1997 and the other in 2002 with a view to ensuring the long-term viability of the Institute. In 2002, the Board approved a rigorous cost-management programme to cope with the funding shortfall. As a result of these actions, surpluses were posted in 1997, 1998 and 2000, while deficits in 1999, 2001 and 2002 were contained within manageable limits, despite unforeseen funding cuts made by certain donors. · The Board approved a comprehensive Planning and Budgeting System to make budgeting and budget monitoring a transparent, needs-based process within the confines of resource availability. This would ensure that the resources are allocated judiciously and in line with the institutional priorities. · The Board has also been constantly monitoring liquidity management. In response to the Board's instructions, the management has put in place a comprehensive investment policy for managing the cash reserves in a manner so as to ensure maximization of returns on investment without compromising the safety of funds. The Board has also set strict benchmarks for maintaining operating and capital reserves (at the highest level among the CGIAR centres), which is constantly monitored. · In order to assist the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities relating to the institute's internal control structure and financial reporting practices, an Audit Committee was set up in 1997. Under instructions from the Board, the practice of the external auditors carrying out the internal audit also was discontinued and an internal auditing function was set up within ICRISAT. The Audit Committee provides an open avenue of communication between the Governing Board, Management, and the function of internal audit. The Board has introduced risk-management as a concept to be incorporated into the internal audit plan, which is approved by the Board each year. · The Board has responded to declining resources by motivating Management to consolidate research sites in Africa, but not at the cost of effecting the balance of research resources or efforts between Africa and Asia. There has been consolidation into three regional hubs in Africa, conforming to the three NARS subregional research coordination bodies, WECARD/CORAF (Niamey), ASARECA (Nairobi), and SADC (Bulawayo). This regional arrangement supports the regionalization efforts demanded by the NARS and endorsed by the CGIAR. · HRD issues in particular have received critical attention. The Board instructed the management to revamp the Personnel Policies and put in place a new Performance Management System with teamwork, excellence and competency as its cornerstones. · The Board's diligence in providing management oversight is also reflected in the debates within the Board and the resulting high quality of outputs/products, including MTPs, as recognized by TAC/iSC, and the award to ICRISAT of its second and third King Baudouin Awards in recent years (see details in response to Rec. 9). · Constituting the board membership in a manner appropriate to the above tasks: All these efforts are reinforced by the manner in which the Board membership is being strengthened by providing the requisite expertise to implement ICRISAT's vision. The Board has on it a diverse blend of expertise relevant to the research agenda. It is particularly strong in the area of biotechnology, while maintaining a healthy gender balance (now three women) and geographical distribution reflecting the global spread of semi-arid tropics. African membership on the Board has now been raised to three. Private sector experience has also been incorporated into Board membership to strengthen its business perceptions. Panel's comments: The recommendation was accepted. With respect to research oversight, the Board continued to complain that it was not getting adequate information and had lost oversight (1998 & 1999). The situation seems to have improved in the past few years with a flatter management with clearer reporting lines and a rudimentary Vision and Strategy in place. |
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7. Because the Institute has focused so much in the recent past on planning mechanisms and organizational structure, at the cost of effective research management and efficient decision making, the Panel recommends that, in the coming years, management pay due attention to the following prerequisites of good research management: effective management information systems for adequate planning, budgeting and monitoring, heightened cost-consciousness; appropriate management skills; effective teamwork, and transparent performance appraisal and accountability systems at ICRISAT. |
Response: ICRISAT concurs. The Centre has already taken concrete action to respond to this recommendation, including management information systems and transparent performance appraisals. Actions taken: There have been numerous improvements in management systems and capacities since the Fourth EPMR. · Management skills and teamwork:
· Management committee structure: the structure was revised in 2001 to provide greater clarity and time-efficiency, with the single large Management Committee being divided into a smaller Management Group (MG) supported by close interaction and representative membership from a Research Committee, and an Administration and Operations Committee. · Based on the new long-term Vision and Strategy for the institute, the Board motivated Management to adopt a flatter research management structure. The Research Programmes were eliminated and six Global Themes were put in place. As well, to ensure that research priorities are based on effective impact analysis, an Impact Assessment Office was established. · Budget Planning & Monitoring: A new Planning and Budgeting System places strategic research planning at the core of the planning process. Funds are allocated based on priority research activities rather than an extrapolation of the previous year's budget. Priority activities are determined through an institute-wide Annual Work planning Meeting feeding into the deliberations of the Research Committee and Management Committee, in consultation with Theme Leaders. A robust Budget Status Reporting System (BSRS) is available online, helping budget holders keep track of actual expenses against their budgets. · Performance Management: the former staff evaluation system has been updated and enhanced into a Performance Management System (PMS). For scientists and managers an annual work plan now forms the basis for performance evaluation. The appraisal process is transparent and encourages staff to share and receive positive and developmental feedback. Reward decisions are based on merit and quantitative indicators measured through the PMS. The PMS is being currently reviewed to make it participatory rather than 'appraiser-appraisee based', including upward as well as downward appraisals. · Information systems: ICRISAT has developed a number of management information systems that are increasing research management efficiency. Annual project activity reports and mid-term activity reports are stored in a searchable database made available on the internet and intranet. A project budget reporting system, trip reporting system, and research highlights system (including research and policy briefs) have also been developed. · Cost Management: to enhance cost consciousness among staff, data on costs are shared with staff and discussed in focus groups. Suggestions received from these discussions are taken up for consideration and implementation by the MG. A cost management task force has been constituted to review costs on various activities across the Institute. Implementation of the recommendations of the task force has yielded considerable savings in procurement, travel, energy, and communication. |
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8. Because, following the retirement of the current incumbent, recruitment for the DDG position is now underway, and several other senior managers are leaving the Institute within the next few months, the Panel is very concerned that the management not be further weakened during the upcoming transition period, and that a strong team of senior managers be constituted as soon as possible; and irrespective of the pressures to fill the position of DDG, and in view of the changes the Institute will have to face in the coming years in its move towards the 'new' ICRISAT, the Panel recommends that the selection of the new DDG be deferred until the new DG has joined and can participate fully in the recruitment process, and that a strong transition team of interim DDG and DG be put in place by the Board as soon as possible. |
Response: Accepted.
Panel's comments:
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9. Because the next few years will require enlightened and decisive management of ICRISAT, and as the Institute gears itself for the proposed revitalization, the Panel recommends that the management and Board provide adequate leadership to the Centre by nurturing an institutional culture that encourages scientific and managerial excellence, and by ensuring the effective management of financial, human and other resources of the Institute. |
Response: ICRISAT accepts the recommendation. Actions taken: Since the Fourth EPMR, Management and the Governing Board have undertaken numerous initiatives to encourage and reward a culture of scientific and managerial excellence at ICRISAT.
Panel's comments: The Panel is satisfied with the changes made, though here again, the initiatives were not taken until 3 years after the EPMR. |
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10. The Panel is convinced that the next few years hold considerable promise for ICRISAT, provided the changes proposed in this Report are implemented effectively; and in view of the CGIAR community's interest in the continued success of the Institute, the Panel recommends that a Mid-Term Review of ICRISAT be undertaken by the CGIAR in two years (i.e. completed by end 1998) to assess the progress made by the Institute in transforming itself into a 'new' strategic research and partnership-oriented centre of excellence. |
Response: We agree, on the understanding that this is to be a status review on the progress that has been made based upon our approved Medium Term Plan, which incorporates the accepted recommendations of the EPMR. Action taken: Based on progress achieved to date and the strain of time and resources this would have required, TAC waived this expectation. Panel's comments: The Panel agrees with TAC's decision to not review the Centre again after two years but considers the postponement of the EPR unfortunate. |
With
assistance from the consulting firm TRG, two leadership and team-building
workshops were conducted for Senior Staff during 2001 & 2002 on building
collaborative alliances and teamwork both within and beyond ICRISAT.
'Scientist-Managers Dialogue' forum to bridge the gap between research and
non-research staff communities.