Get involved

EiB works with and creates benefits for, four different stakeholder groups: Users, Contributors and Members, in addition to Funders of our work that will benefit from the transparency of information created by the Platform.

Users are able to access Platform know-how from the Toolbox.
Contributors provide tools, practices, services and advice that optimize breeding program performance.
Members are breeding teams that commit to work with EiB to optimize breeding program performance.

Members

Members are the distinct breeding teams with whom EiB works to augment breeding program performance, and are therefore the primary beneficiaries of EiB.

A breeding team includes the primary breeder plus phenotypers, field team, molecular breeders, geneticists, informaticians, biometricians, breeding team management and other disciplinary specialists consistently working together on (a) species-by-target environment combination(s) and responsible for breeding program outputs.

Membership requires breeding teams as well as their senior management (Director General, Deputy Director General or equivalent) to decide they want to become a member and to sign a membership agreement.

Benefits of membership

Collaboration to help achieve the following main ambitions:

Clear product profiles;
A stage gate process “from breeding cross to farm”;
Optimized breeding schemes;
Effective and routine assessments of genetic gains;
Access to lower-cost, application-targeted genotyping;
Access to lower-cost, application-targeted phenotyping;
Bioinformatics and biometric tools supporting improved design, analysis, automation, data integration and decision making.

One-to-one mentorship and participation in focused regional workshops where best practices are exchanged and further developed.
Training tools to assist breeding programs in scaling up successes internally and with partners.
Pilot access to prioritized tools and services, in particular to lower-cost genotyping and mechanization/automation options and software developed, funded or co-funded by CGIAR-affiliated projects (e.g., BMS, B4R, GOBII, CassavaBase, etc.).
Complete access to all areas of the online toolbox hosted by the Platform. Includes access to discussion forums allowing members to discuss topics of common interest and share program details in a members-only environment.
Influence on the EiB agenda and investments.
Inclusion in investment proposals targeted at funding agencies to strengthen the impact of breeding programs targeting the developing world.

Requirements to become a member

A demonstrable commitment to the implementation of a breeding program improvement process aligned with best practices identified by EiB and commensurate to resources available.
Provision of standardized information about product profiles, stage gate implementation, genetic gains assessment, breeding schemes, genomics, phenotyping and bioinformatics tools used, and updating of such information as the breeding program proceeds with the improvement process.
Active participation in EiB communities of practice, training workshops and mentorship programs, including through suggestions and feedback on best practices and improvement approaches.

For more information about becoming a member, please consult our Frequently asked questions or Contact us.