Announcing the Genesys Advisory Committee
14 January 2016
Statement from the Executive Director
Over the last four years Genesys has grown into the Internet’s most comprehensive portal for plant genetic resources, unifying information on more than 2.6 million crop genebank accessions. Along the way a small, global group of experts – initially called the Genesys Task Force, and then the Oversight Committee – have been indispensable to making the portal bigger and better every year. As Genesys continues to bloom, we are pleased to announce the transformation of this group into an official and enduring committee. Newly adopted Terms of Reference formalize the contributions of the Genesys Advisory Committee and ensure that it remains open and representative.
The Committee is comprised of six experts from Genesys data providers, donors, user groups, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The group will select one of these members as a Chairperson every two years. The Crop Trust will be represented by an ex officio member.
As it has done over the past years, the Advisory Committee will guide the evolution of Genesys by providing advice, guidance and recommendations on the organization, operations and activities of the Genesys Management Team. The new Terms of Reference define this role clearly along with a number of others. The Committee will provide high-level strategic advice and recommendations; represent stakeholder interests and ensure their adequate communication with the Management Team; provide input into management, governance and sustainability of Genesys; and assist in bringing new data providers and stakeholders onto the portal.
Genesys was created to empower genebanks, breeders and researchers everywhere. There will be continued opportunities to strengthening Genesys further, as there will always be more crop diversity to discover. The Crop Trust looks forward to expanding and improving the portal for years to come with the community’s continuing guidance.
Marie Haga
Executive Director
The Crop Trust
The Genesys Advisory Committee
- Robert Hijmans, UC Davis - Chair of the Advisory Committee
- Francisco Lopez, ITPGRFA
- Graham McLaren, GCP / IBP
- Luciano Nass, EMBRAPA
- Ruaraidh Sackville Hamilton, IRRI
- Theo van Hintum, CGN
Categories: Genebanks, Data & Information Systems, Sustainable Agriculture