A Major Step Forward for CGIAR Network Breeding and RTB Crops
The International Potato Center (CIP) is about to make a significant leap forward in digital innovation for crop improvement with the implementation of its potato and sweet potato breeding data management into Enterprise Breeding System (EBS). This process of transition will be a significant step for both CIP and the Roots, Tubers, and Bananas (RTB) community as the first RTB crops on track to be fully managed within EBS.
The change represents an important step toward CGIAR’s vision for Breeding for Tomorrow (B4T), a networked and data-driven breeding approach that leads to improved future collaboration, efficiency, and transparency among programs and partners developing climate-resilient, farmer- and consumer-preferred varieties.
Driving Efficiency, Security, and Sustainability Across CGIAR
As part of the CGIAR-wide adoption process, the EBS is evolving as CGIAR’s central platform for breeding data management, an enabler for systems integration and interoperability, and a supporting pillar of reliable data in a secure solution managed by Breeding Innovations and Services Digital Solutions (BIS DS). As CIP progresses towards the migration of its potato and sweet potato datasets into EBS, data stewardship practices will be aligned with the CGIAR principles of ownership and accountability, allowing centers to host their data safely within a FAIR-compliant, cloud-based environment specifically designed for long-term access and preservation.
This coordinated onboarding will also result in increased efficiency and sustainability of operations across CGIAR by eliminating duplicate systems, simplifying maintenance, and centralizing digital assets. It is an important strategic step towards modernising breeding data infrastructure and establishing the basis for collaborative research, genetic development, and evidence-based decision making.
Collaborative Agility: Delivering with Partners
The ongoing preparation for CIP’s onboarding reflects strong collaboration between the Digital Solutions (DS) team and CIP’s breeding and data management experts. Working together, they have reviewed key operational needs, streamlined workflows, and developed an initial strategy to ensure EBS features align with CIP’s requirements. This partnership demonstrates their agility, responsiveness, and a shared commitment to advancing scientific excellence.
This collaboration illustrates EBS’s approach of jointly creating scalable, center-informed solutions that satisfy present program requirements and build CGIAR’s future digital capacity for fostering innovation.
Looking Ahead
The Digital Solutions team’s establishment of a CGIAR Research Ecosystem, which is completely in line with CGIAR’s digital transformation journey, has advanced significantly with the incorporation of potato and sweet potato breeding into EBS. By supporting data as a central asset, it advances the industry’s goal of creating a cohesive, integrated, transparent, and forward-thinking breeding network.
Milestones like CIP’s upcoming onboarding will continue to steer CGIAR toward a unified, secure, and sustainable breeding data ecosystem as EBS adoption spreads across centers and crops, allowing scientists to expedite the delivery of improved, climate-resilient varieties for farmers and communities worldwide.