Jimmy Smith recently updated staff on changes in our Biotechnology Theme:
The new ILRI’s long-term strategy that we’re now developing will help us plan for ILRI’s biotech future. But we’re going to make some interim changes in our biotechnology theme. We’ve been talking to many donors to attract their interest to biotech, and one has an interest in making animal vaccine programs. This is a good opportunity to link up our biotech staff with medical researchers, and we can start with a vaccine initiative.
Today I’m going to tell you about some organizational changes we’re going to make to create the new space needed for this vaccine and other work to happen. The intention of these changes is to free up Vish Nene, the current director of ILRI’s biotechnology theme, so that he can take on development of this vaccine initiative. This change is not intended to split our biotech work into several pieces; it is, rather, meant to create coherence and strong links with BecA. As we pursue this vaccine effort, we still have a lot of work to do to grow our resources for biotech work.
An outline of the changes are described below;
- Vish Nene will lead the vaccine initiative and will continue to report to the DDG but also now to the DG.
- Steve Kemp will take on the job of Interim Manager of ILRI’s biotechnology theme, which includes breeding (led by Okeyo Mwai) and (proposed) feeds (it’s proposed that ILRI starts a discussion/work on the biotech aspects of feeds/nutrition).
- Our biotech work has two components that cut across both the vaccine and breeds/feeds areas:
- Animal Health, Breeds and Feeds Assessment, Product Delivery and Diagnostics (run by Phil Toye and his group)
- Genomics (run by Steve Kemp and his group)
- Steve will join Vish on the Management Committee.
- In terms of staff reporting arrangements, there will be few changes.
We have a lot of confidence in our biotech future here—and that is a major reason for making these changes. We want to ensure that we fulfill on the high promise of livestock biotech for sustainable and equitable development. We have an opportunity. We’ll begin today to take advantage of it. In a few years’ time, we should have a surplus of biotech funding, materials, ideas and staff. People should be pounding on our doors, wanting to work with us, and for us.
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