A Major Step Forward for CGIAR Network Breeding and RTB Crops
The International Potato Center (CIP) has taken a major step forward in digital innovation for crop improvement by starting the integration of its potato and sweet potato breeding data management into the Enterprise Breeding System (EBS). This milestone marks a breakthrough for both CIP and the Roots, Tubers, and Bananas (RTB) community, as these become the first RTB crops to be fully managed within EBS.
This transition reflects meaningful progress toward CGIAR’s Breeding for Tomorrow (B4T) vision of networked and data-driven breeding, enhancing collaboration, efficiency, and transparency across programs and partners dedicated to developing climate-resilient, farmer and consumer-preferred varieties.
Driving Efficiency, Security, and Sustainability Across CGIAR
The Enterprise Breeding System (EBS) continues to advance as CGIAR’s central platform for breeding data management, integrating systems, improving interoperability, and reinforcing data integrity within a secure, CGIAR-managed environment. With the migration of CIP’s potato and sweet potato breeding datasets into EBS, data stewardship is now fully aligned with CGIAR’s principles of ownership and accountability, empowering centers to manage their data securely within a FAIR-compliant, cloud-based infrastructure that guarantees long-term accessibility and protection.
This milestone also enhances operational efficiency and sustainability across CGIAR by reducing system duplication, lowering maintenance costs, and consolidating digital resources. It represents a strategic step toward modernizing breeding data infrastructure while establishing a robust foundation for collaborative research, genetic innovation, and evidence-based decision-making.
Collaborative Agility: Delivering with Partners
The seamless migration of CIP’s breeding programs was made possible through strong collaboration between the Digital Solutions (DS) team and CIP’s breeding and data management experts. Working in close partnership, the DS team matched and deployed key features to meet CIP’s operational needs, demonstrating agility, responsiveness, and a shared commitment to scientific excellence.
This achievement highlights EBS’s collaborative approach, co-developing scalable, center-informed solutions that not only address immediate program requirements but also strengthen CGIAR’s collective capacity for digital breeding innovation.
Looking Ahead
The successful integration of potato and sweet potato breeding into EBS marks a significant step forward in the establishment of a CGIAR Research Ecosystem by the Digital Solutions team, fully aligned with CGIAR’s digital transformation journey. It reinforces the role of data as a unifying asset, accelerating progress toward a connected, interoperable breeding network that is efficient, transparent, and future-ready.
As EBS adoption expands across centers and crops, milestones like CIP’s onboarding continue to drive CGIAR toward its vision of a unified, secure, and sustainable breeding data ecosystem, empowering scientists to deliver improved, climate-resilient varieties for farmers and communities worldwide.