INTERNATIONAL CROPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR THE SEMI-ARID TROPICS

Their core work

ICRISAT is a CGIAR international research institute headquartered in India, specializing in agricultural science for semi-arid tropical regions across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Their core work covers crop improvement, conservation of genetic resources for dryland crops (chickpea, pigeonpea, sorghum, pearl millet, groundnut), and the application of genomics and phenomics to accelerate breeding for climate-resilient food systems. In H2020, they contribute as a field-connected scientific partner with access to germplasm collections, multi-country trial networks, and deep expertise in food legume genetics that most European institutes cannot replicate. They also bring experience translating research into impact in smallholder farming systems across 55+ countries.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

ICRISAT's first H2020 project (NADiRA, 2017-2020) placed them in a broad digital-transformation-for-agriculture context focused on Africa, but that project left no keyword record, suggesting a supporting rather than defining role. Their second project (INCREASE, 2020-2026) marks a clear shift toward their scientific core: food legume genetics, molecular phenotyping, and conservation of biodiversity. The addition of blockchain, AI, and citizen science in INCREASE signals that ICRISAT is now integrating digital and data-science methods into its traditional crop-science work, rather than treating digital agriculture as a separate track.

ICRISAT is moving toward data-rich, molecularly-grounded genetic resource science combined with open digital tools — making them a strong future partner for any consortium that needs non-European germplasm collections, dryland crop genetics, or field validation capacity in Africa and South Asia.

How they like to work

ICRISAT always joins as a participant and has never led an H2020 project, which reflects both their non-European base and their typical role as a specialist contributor providing germplasm access, field networks, and scientific expertise that consortium leaders in Europe cannot source locally. With 34 unique partners across 16 countries from just two projects, they operate in large, diverse consortia rather than tight recurring teams. This suggests they are brought in specifically for what they uniquely offer, not for project management capacity.

Despite only two H2020 projects, ICRISAT has connected with 34 distinct partners across 16 countries — a sign that the consortia they join are large and internationally distributed. Their network spans Europe, Africa, and Asia, consistent with their mandate as a global CGIAR center.

What sets them apart

ICRISAT is one of the very few H2020 partners that can provide direct access to extensive dryland crop germplasm collections, long-term multi-country field trial infrastructure in Africa and South Asia, and a community of practice among smallholder farmers — assets that no European university or research institute holds. For any consortium working on food security, crop genetic diversity, or climate adaptation in arid regions, ICRISAT fills a gap that cannot be covered by European partners alone. Their dual presence in genomics science and on-the-ground development in vulnerable regions makes them unusually credible at both ends of the research-to-impact pipeline.

Highlights from their portfolio

• INCREASE
  A long-duration project (2020-2026) combining genomics, phenomics, blockchain, and citizen science for food legume genetic resources — the most scientifically ambitious and data-rich engagement ICRISAT has in H2020.
• NADiRA
  ICRISAT's only funded H2020 project (EUR 233,561 received), focused on digital agricultural transformation in Africa — demonstrating their bridge role between European research funding and African food system challenges.