This initiative was initially conceived in a joint paper from ILRI, ICIPE and ICRAF in 2007 where it was proposed to establish a unit for cooperation with the private sector – in Nairobi, the science capital of East Africa. This first found life in GIZ’s BEAF program, which provides grants (<€60k for 1-2 yrs; <€1.2m for 3 yrs), and provides CIM technical experts to CGIAR centres. This continues, and offers grants to produce research proposals that clearly indicate potential in implementation. ITAAC now intends to support innovation transfer from research to practice to “provide farmers with access to innovation and technology” and will:

1. Build a knowledge platform: to be established at ICIPE, manned by a CIM expert who will liaise with ILRI on innovation platforms in the construction of this one. (More to follow on this)
2. Screen the supply of climate change adapted technologies from CGIAR and IAR Centers and check against market demand. This will be in line with their alignment with CCAFS and/or CAADP and/or G8 Initiative on Food Security, but technologies can come from within any of the CRPs (and beyond).
3. Offer competitive grants for pilots that involve other actors (NGO, PS)
4. Actively shared lessons

For more information, see: http://bit.ly/1mErAh6