RTB received excellent reviews and recognition in 2014-2015 for its performance and impact. It was the only CRP to receive an "excellent" rating in annual reporting to the CO in both years. RTB also received praise for its gender research and reporting. Externally, RTB received the best review of six CRPs read so far and was granted additional funding from DFID based on its performance. RTB is working to strengthen scientific collaboration across disciplines and centers, enhance its gender portfolio, and diversify funding sources including a new $11.6 million project on cassava seed systems funded by BMGF.

1. Update on RTB
Developments
RTB Program Management Unit
Annual Review and Meeting
Lima
8th December 2015

2. Six reasons why RTB is best CRP!
1. Only CRP to receive “excellent” in Annual Reporting
to CO in 2014 and 2015!
2. Commendation by CO for reporting on gender and
used our format as model for other CRPs
3. CRP with highest number of A grades in ISPC
review of pre-proposals
4. Outstanding external review (best of all six read so
far by Yvonne Pinto of ISC)
5. Based on performance review DFID granted RTB 3.5
million pounds of W2 funding
6. Just agreed BMGF funding for RTB led project on
cassava seed systems for $11.6m

3. Overview
1. Governance & Management
2. Scientific collaboration
3. Gender research
4. Communications
5. Preproposal and ISPC review
6. External evaluation
7. BMGF cassava seed systems
8. Wrap up

4. 1. Governance & Management
Center &
Gender
Focal Points

5. ISC - TOR
• Began Jan 2015 – evolved from PAC
• Nine members appointed three years
• Majority independent members
• Competencies: gender, partnership, evaluation, and
ToC, CapDev and cutting-edge science
• ISC chair elected from independent members
• Oversight:
– Implementation of RTB
– Strategic alignment with the SRF
– Guides management for results
– Approves plans, reports, and budgets

6. RTB 1.0 to RTB 2.0
RTB 1.0
RTB 2.0
5 Flagships and 25 clusters
Outcome Orientation (RBM)
Multidisciplinary teams from different Themes
Online software platform
Google
drive
Research /
output
orientation
7 RTB
Themes

7. • Gender research coordinator, full time - Bhawana
• Communications officer – Holly
• M&E Officer - Claudio
• Science officer – Michael:
– Product delivery plans
– Formulation and review of progress discovery/breeding related
products, milestones and activities.
– Strategic advice to Program Director on range of science issues
PMU staffing update

8. 2. Scientific collaboration
• The CO wrote: The RTB Annual Review (AR) is excellent. The
diversity, relevance and clarity of the results (i.e. outputs)
delivered are impressive and confirm the quality of the RTB
upstream research from harnessing genetic diversity to
post-harvest management practices and value-chain
focused solutions. Progress in applying state of the art
biological tools was remarkable including the building up of
the metabolomics platform, and the use of genome-wide
association mapping combined with the next generation
sequencing. These outputs are feeding the delivery and
adoption process for scaling-up and out in targeted
countries through key projects: tripling potato yield in
Ethiopia, reducing bacteria wilt impact in banana (BXW) in
Eastern and Central Africa, and doubling vitamin A intake
through orange-flesh sweet potato adoption in Kenya

9. 2. Scientific collaboration
• NEXTGEN sequencing and phenotyping data
• Genomic analyses (GWAS, GS) for complex traits (eg. potato
tuberization and early bulking, fertility and fruit quality in banana) and
for targeted breeding strategies (eg. heterotic grouping)
• Large-scale Phenotyping identifies heat tolerant sweet potato lines
• Preferences for quality traits – Workshop Kampala
• Value chain studies, Gender studies of trait preferences,
Qualitative Surveys
• Sensory Profile (QDA), consumer acceptance
• Physicochemical analysis
• Track back to pin down underlying trait
• Guide breeding
• RTB data management and bio-informatics
• Developing a common vision for the integrated data management

10. • Biological and socio-economic surveys along
altitudinal gradients
– patterns of pest/disease abundance and their impacts
• Modelling of interventions to prevent degeneration
of planting material
• clean seed, farmer seed selection, and pest and pathogen
incidence based on geography and climate change
• Improvement of energy efficiency in cassava
processing & adding value to RTB waste products
• adaptation of cassava and plantain peels for animal feed
2. Scientific collaboration

11. 3. RTB Gender Portfolio Achievements
• RTB gender reporting model for
CGIAR!
• Filling critical gaps and building
capacity with RTB-University
Partnership Gender Integration
initiative with 9 universities and 6
students in 2015
• More targeted and linked up
approach for integrated gender
research:
– RTB & NEXTGEN Cassava project pilot
study on gender differentiatiated
preferences for cassava traits in Nigeria
– RTB with IITA and Bioversity submitted
proposals on CO calls for Post-Doctoral
fellow on gender & breeding in cassava
and banana
• Enabling environment with strategic
gender research:
– Gennovate
Photo Credit :http://cipotato.org/
Women participants receiving vines after the training, Bangladesh

12. 4. Communications
● RTB communication channels in 2015
• Blogs and News
– RTB research, publications, successes
– Partners contribute and share
• Flyers – RTB second phase
84% increase in
Facebook
followers from
2014
43% increase in
Twitter followers
from 2014
1000+ Newsletter
subscribers
25,000+ visitors to
RTB website so far
this year. Up from
14,000 in 2014

13. FP1:
Discovery
FP2:
Varieties/
seed
FP3:
resilient
crops
FP4:
nutritious/
added value
FP5:
Livelihood
systems
FP6:
Impact
@ scale
Clair Inge James Graham Piet
(Philippe)
Dietmar
Global
Challenges
Oscar
Partnership
& CapDev
Simone
Gender Netsayi &
Bhawana
ToC/IDO Claudio
5. Pre-proposal and ISPC review
Intense internal review: CIP BoT, ISC and MC!
Builds on business cases for clusters and flagships

14. 5. Pre-proposal ISPC: feedback

15. 5. Pre-proposal ISPC: feedback
Satisfactory with adjustment, recommends
inviting full proposal
• Clear comparative advantage
• Well conceptualised, strong and stable management
• Pre-proposal generally very high standard
• Role of other CRPs and partners explained succinctly
with great clarity
• Theory of change and impact pathway for RTB clear,
focused, logical and plausible
• Greatest concern FP5 and FP6

16. 6. IEA review of RTB: headlines
5 person team led by Jill Lenne – extensive visits
• Notable progress in past 4 years
• Strongly warrants continuing
• Well directed, achieving reasonable # of milestones
• Adding value across crops and centers mainly through
complementary funded projects
• Science sound
• NARs appreciative
• Good progress gender strategy
• Good program governance and management

17. IEA review of RTB: for improvement
• using outcomes of priority assessment for more
strategic allocation of budget across crops
• collaboration among breeders (cassava and banana)
• strengthening CRP expertise in seed systems
• improved integration of crop improvement and
management technologies
• enhanced focus of post-harvest research on the
crop-specific aspects of value chain improvements

18. BMGF: Seed Value Chain & project components
Breeder
Seed
Foundation
seed
Commer
cial seed
growers
Farmers /
Seed
Users
Seed Quality &
Protocols
Seed & Information
Consumer Demand & Money
M&E

19. Seed value chain workshop
RTB facilitated
IITA
NRCRI
NASC
Context Network
Fera
SAH
$11.6m

20. Tough year but we made it!
1. External evaluation – teams came together
2. Internal audit review – good shape
3. Delays in contracts from Fund Office down
4. Lack of clarity over carry-over from 2014
5. Shifts in donors – closer accountability W1&W2
6. Pressures on aid budgets – system change
7. Four cuts to 2015 FinPlan
8. Optimistic of recovery in 2017
9. THANKS EVERYBODY FOR STAYING COURSE!

21. 8. Wrap up
1. Dynamic Independent Steering Committee:
2. Planning shift RTB 1.0 to 2.0
3. Strengthened scientific collaboration: “RTB team”
4. Enhanced gender research
5. Dynamized RTB communication channels
6. Strong Pre-Proposal – well set to move forward
7. Outstanding external review
8. Diversifying funding