Report of the Science Partnership Committee to CGIAR International Centers Week 2000

Report on the second meeting of the Science Partnership Committee, held October 21, 2000 in conjunction with CGIAR ICW 2000, James Cook presiding.. The meeting addressed the Committee's terms of reference and development of its agenda. Its interaction with CGIAR Chairman Ian Johnson focused on peer reviews as a means to ensure the quality and relevance of scientific research at CGIAR Centers, and the Chairman's hope that the Committee would be an ambassador to other institutions and organizations, increasing awareness of CGIAR research in the international scientific community. CDC Chairman Per Pinstrup-Andersen stressed center contact and collaboration with the broader scientific community, and the tensions centers faced between pursuing basic "upstream" research, and applied "downstream" research aimed at more immediate and specific impacts.The Committee selected three issues for future attention: facilitating understanding of the public policy debate on the direction of agricultural sciences and its implications for the CGIAR; ways in which peer review of center research and development can be achieved or improved; and the balance between core funding and competitive grants