Dr. P. Bernard Tinker
Department of Plant Sciences
University of Oxford, South Parks Road
Oxford OX1 3 RB, U.K.
Tel: (0044-1665) 275145
Fax: (0044-1865) 275060
Glebe House
Broadwell, Lechlade
Glos. GL7 3QS, U.K.
Tel: (0044-1367) 860436
Fax: (0044-1367) 860436
11 February 1998
Dr. Donald Winkelmann
Chair
Technical Advisory Committee
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
355 East Palace Avenue
Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
Mr. Alexander von der Osten
Executive Secretary
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
The World Bank
1818H. Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433, USA
Dear Dr. Winkelmann and Mr. von der Osten,
It is my privilege to transmit to you the Report of the Panel that conducted the Fifth External Programme and Management Review (EPMR) of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
Since the 1992 EPMR, the global rice community has become even more sophisticated and diversified; and the new sciences, particularly that of biotechnology, have made remarkable advances enabling major discoveries to be made concerning the rice genome. These developments are presenting new opportunities for strategic and applied research for IRRI and its NARS partners, some of whom have themselves made rapid advances in R & D capacity. The Panel has recommended that IRRI should determine how to position itself within this fast-moving science to ensure that the interests of IRRI and its stakeholders are safeguarded for the future.
The turbulent events at IRRI over the last few years led to instability and lower morale. However, all this is now over, and IRRI has survived and learnt from these shocks. The Panel has recommended that the Board and Management must now concentrate on creating a stable enabling environment for research so that IRRI staff can return to giving undivided attention to their research and its application by their partner countries.
Overall, the Panel considers that IRRI has relevant and good quality programmes, which are well supported. The Panel has made recommendations where it has seen weaknesses or where greater focusing is necessary. Improvements are needed, however, in making the current organizational structure work more efficiently. In this regard the Panel has recommended that no major structural reorganization should be attempted until some time after the new DG and other senior staff are in post, and then only if they conclude that they can find an organizational structure that is significantly better than the present one.
Despite the recent difficulties, IRRI remains a strong flagship Centre in the CGIAR System whose scientific accomplishments during the review period are significant, particularly those: in germplasm enhancement and biotechnology, in yield frontier research; in productivity decline research; and in IPM. Similarly, IRRI's relationships with its partner countries and their NARS, as well as with advanced laboratories world-wide, are impressive. The Panel concluded that IRRI has a central role to play in the future food security, and represents a high return investment that deserves the full support of the CGIAR.
I would like to thank you for assembling a capable and experienced team for the challenging task of conducting this Review. The Panel members worked exceptionally well together, and I want to add my own warm personal thanks to them all for their hard work and good humour. I would like to express the Panel's appreciation for the excellent contributions made by Ronnie Coffman and Henri Maraite in their capacities as consultants to the Panel.
We express our special thanks to the resource persons assigned to the Panel, Amir Kassam from the TAC Secretariat, and Pammi Sachdeva from the CGIAR Secretariat for their excellent support and advice to the Panel. Without them, the Panel would have found it difficult to complete the task on time.
We are grateful to IRRI Board, Management and staff for giving us every assistance and enabling us to carry out our task smoothly.
Finally, all the Panel members join me in expressing appreciation for the opportunity to be part of the Review Panel.
Yours sincerely,Bernard Tinker
Chair, External Review Panel
