IFS eNews No. 1, December 2000

Welcome to the first issue of IFS eNews, the International Foundation for ScienceÕs electronic newsletter, which will appear quarterly. We hope this modern age communication tool will be appreciated as an effective way to inform you about recent developments at IFS. We realize that not everybody has access to a personal e-mail address. Those persons in the IFS database who use a shared institutional e-mail address, those who have no e-mail address at all and those who are listed with incorrect e-mail addresses, will receive a paper copy of this eNews. If you have a personal e-mail address but have received this eNews on paper, please inform us of your correct e-mail address.

IFS News, the newsletter that appeared in the past, will no longer be produced. Some of the articles that were featured in IFS News will now be contained in the Annual Report. This is being redesigned to increase readability; we hope that recipients will enjoy the new "look."

Your comments on the contents of IFS eNews are most welcome to info@ifs.se

An introduction from the new IFS Director, Prof. Thomas Rosswall:

THE FUTURE IS NOT WHAT IT HAS BEEN!

It was with considerable expectations that I started as IFS Director on 1 September. These first three months have been very exciting, and there has been much to learn. Secretariat staff have been very patient and tried to bring me up-to-par by sharing their experiences and visions for the future.

During my first weeks in office, we had a visit from the Third External Evaluation Team. The outcome of the Evaluation will be the basis for future developments of IFS. Meanwhile, internal discussions at the Secretariat have also commenced. The views of grantees will be central to further developments, and the survey being conducted in connection with MESIA, the monitoring and evaluation system of grantees being developed at IFS, will prove extremely useful. IFS Member Organizations will continue to play an important role in promoting IFS and helping to implement the programme. So too will the many international science and development aid organizations with which IFS co-operates.

Of great importance of course are the IFS Donors, and I have taken the opportunity to discuss key issues with several of them. A sound understanding of the views and priorities of current Donors regarding the future of IFS is a top priority. I will also devote considerable attention to discussions with potential donors, as it is important that the financial base for IFS be broadened.

We wish to build on the strengths and considerable experience of IFS while taking into account the changing world. Change offers opportunities; they must be seized to further the IFS Mandate "to strengthen capacity in developing countries to conduct relevant and high quality research on the management, use, and conservation of biological resources."

This is the first IFS eNews, and we hope that it will provide an efficient vehicle for communicating with all of you. Communication is not a one-way street, so we would like to urge you to share your views with us on how IFS could develop to face future challenges (thomas.rosswall@ifs.se).

Thomas Rosswall

Director

IFS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (EC) MEETING, 4-5 DECEMBER 2000

At the meeting in Stockholm, the EC:

IFS ASSEMBLY 2001

IFS appreciates how important the IFS Assembly is, especially to its Member Organizations. In fact, despite the recommendation made by the Second External Evaluation in 1992 to discontinue this meeting, IFS went ahead in 1997 with the Eighth IFS Assembly in Rio de Janeiro and looked forward to holding the next one in Malaysia in September 2001. However, the IFS Executive Committee decided at its recent meeting to cancel the Assembly for much the same reasons as those given by the 1992 Evaluation Team - IFS should focus its limited resources on activities more directly related to building scientific capacity in developing countries. The Secretariat was further requested to develop new ideas for strengthened collaboration with Member Organizations for discussions at the next meeting of the Board of Trustees.

The Third External Evaluation that is taking place now will no doubt also take up the issue of how IFS can interface with its Member Organizations and the larger IFS constituency in an innovative and cost-effective way.

IFS GOVERNANCE MEETINGS 2001

Stockholm, Sweden:

Washington, DC, USA:

The Executive Committee will not meet in 2001.

IFS DONORS

Donors to IFS during 2000 are ACIAR, Australia; DANIDA, Denmark; IRD, France; MAE, France; DFG, Germany; UNU/INRA, Japan; CONACYT, Mexico; Minbuza, The Netherlands; OPCW, The Netherlands; NORAD, Norway; COMSTECH, Pakistan; MISTRA, Sweden; Sida/NATUR, Sweden; Sida/SAREC, Sweden; SNSF, Switzerland; and DFID, UK. We would like to thank them for their generous contributions during the year, which totalled approximately USD 3.9 million (USD 2.7 million in unrestricted, or "core" funds and USD 820,000 in donor restricted funds). More than USD 2.2 million will be spent on grants.

In addition, IFS expects to receive funding from the European Commission (EC) in response to a proposal sent to the DGVIII of the EC in 1995. This contribution will be approximately USD 300,000 per year for a period of three years.

For the year 2001, IFS anticipates an increase in income due to a renewed source of income - Belgium, which had discontinued funding as of 1998 is re-instating its core funding to IFS as a result of the intervention by one of IFSÕ senior advisers, Prof. Patrick Sorgeloos of the University of Gent.

IFS THIRD EXTERNAL EVALUATION

At the request of the IFS Board of Trustees and the Donors Group, IFS is currently being evaluated by an international team of scientists. The External Evaluation Team includes: Dr Erik Thulstrup (Chairman), Roskilde University, Denmark; Dr Ana María Cetto, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Dr Thierry Freyvogel, Swiss Tropical Institute; and Dr Moctar Touré, SPAAR/World Bank. The Team's objective is to evaluate the ability of IFS to build scientific capacity in developing countries. It will also suggest how IFS can best operate in the future, given the changes in science and the world. The Team has met a number of grantees, Scientific Advisers, Donors, Trustees, and Secretariat staff. In November, Dr Thulstrup attended the IFS Advisers Forum and summarized progress made. The Final Report will be ready by April 2001. If you would like to send comments to the Team, contact eren.zink@ifs.se.

IFS ADVISERS FORUM

The Third Advisers Forum took place in Sigtuna, Sweden, in November and was held in connection with the six Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) Meetings. Some 60 people, including Scientific Advisers, Trustees, and the IFS Secretariat attended. The Forum provided the first opportunity for many of the participants to meet the new Director, Thomas Rosswall, who outlined what he sees as the challenges facing IFS in the future. It was also a good chance for Scientific Advisers to have input into the External Evaluation. Erik Thulstrup, Chairman of the Evaluation Team, addressed the Forum and the lively and constructive discussion provided excellent input to the evaluation process. Each of the six SACs offered specific suggestions for the future developments of IFS.

THE MONITORING AND EVALUATION SYSTEM FOR IMPACT ASSESSMENT (MESIA):

MESIA is well under way. A first report presenting the conceptual framework and the guidelines for the different components of MESIA is available on the IFS web (Conceptual_Framework_and_Guidelines.pdf) or on request. A questionnaire has been sent to 1,000 African grantees, with a 50% response rate. The questionnaire also went to nearly 600 beneficiaries of the European INCO-DEV programme, with a response rate of 33%. The data from both efforts have been prepared for analysis. Four country case studies have also been initiated: Tanzania, Cameroon, Mexico, and Malaysia. IFS intends to incorporate MESIA as a permanent feature of its operations. It will prove a useful tool for measuring the effectiveness of IFS support to its grantees as well as for monitoring their progress and achievements. For more information contact jacques.gaillard@ifs.se or anna.tullberg@ifs.se

IFS SECRETARIAT

MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS

IFS would like to welcome 13 new Member Organizations (MOs), which brings the number to 118 in 81 countries. The new Members are:

National Organizations:

Regional Organization:

International Organizations:

We would like to thank the many MOs who have participated in our recruitment campaign during the year by promoting IFS in their newsletters and linking their homepages to the IFS www address. Within the MESIA project, the impact study in Mexico has been conducted in close collaboration with the Mexican MO CONACYT, and the Malaysian Scientific Association (MSA) has been helpful in co-ordinating the impact study in Malaysia.

Ideas and suggestions on how MOs can work with us are welcome, so please feel free to contact jacques.gaillard@ifs.se.

SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS

Aquatic Resources: The International Marine Biotechnology Conference, which takes place every three years, was held in Townsville, Australia, in October and attended by some 260 people. IFS Head of Programme Dr Richard Fuchs was there and recruited some Scientific Advisers. There were not many young scientists, particularly from developing countries, taking part, and the organizers felt this important issue should be discussed for future meetings.

Animal Production: The International Congress on Animal Reproduction (ICAR) held its 14th Congress in Stockholm, Sweden, in July. Among the participants were IFS grantees Dr Aida Cordero and Dr Wilfredo Huanca from Peru, and Mr Marcelo Aba from Argentina. Dr CorderoÕs research is on the testicular and seminal characteristics in alpaca. Dr Huanca is working with pelibuey ewes and crossbred cows, and Mr Aba is studying the ovarian activity in llamas. All three had a poster presentation on their research findings. A number of other grantees and Scientific Advisers also participated in the meeting.

IFS Scientific Secretary Ms Ingrid Leemans presented IFS at the International Course in Technical Management of Artificial Insemination organized by the Swedish International Programme on Animal Reproduction (SIPAR). The 20 participants came from 16 different countries and are all eligible for IFS support.

Forestry/Agroforestry: The International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO) holds a Congress every five years. The 21st IUFRO World Forestry Congress took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in August. The Congress attracted almost 2,000 delegates from about 100 countries. Scientific Secretary Mr Per Ekman was there, together with 17 grantees: the Congress is an important forum for forestry researchers and an excellent opportunity to become updated on the most recent developments in forestry research and to make new contacts. Prior to the Congress grantees participated in a five-day training course on Forestry Research Strategy Formulation, Planning and Management. A total of 40 participants from 25 countries, largely sponsored by IFS and IUFRO-SPDC, attended the course. Following this course, an additional 1,5-day course on Planning and Writing a Research Proposal was held at the same venue. The instructor Mr Peter Wood, IFS Scientific Adviser, based his lectures on the IUFRO-SPDCÕs new "Handbook for Preparing and Writing Research Proposals" written by Dr C P Patrick Reid, University of Arizona. The handbook can be ordered from IUFRO-SPDC (http://iufro.boku.ac.at/iufro/spdc/spdcpublges.htm).

Natural Products: ASOMPS (Asian Symposium on Medicinal Plants, Spices, and other Natural Products) promotes collaboration and co-operation between Asian scientistsÑchemists, pharmacologists, pharmacists, biochemists, botanists, and biotechnologistsÑand their research on natural products. The network has been active since 1960 through a series of international symposia, which IFS supports by sponsoring granteesÕ participation. IFS Senior Assistant Ms Eva Rostig attended the most recent symposium, ASOMPS X, which was held in Dacca, Bangladesh in November 2000. Two grantees/Scientific Advisers had leading roles in the meeting: Prof. M Mosihuzzaman (Chairman) and Prof. Nilufar Nahar (Secretary), and seven grantees made presentations.

SCIENTIFIC DATABASES FOR IFS GRANTEES:

Easy access to recent scientific publications is often a constraint for our grantees. For that reason, IFS has for some time been evaluating a number of commercial databases with a view to making them available for our grantees. We will also be investigating funding possibilities for this project and the technicalities of connecting the grantees with the databases. No final decisions have been made and your comments or suggestions are welcome to richard.hall@ifs.se.

NETWORK OF USERS OF SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT IN SOUTHERN AFRICA (NUSESA):

The IFS Donor Sida/SAREC, Sweden, has approved support in the amount of USD 50,000 for NUSESA activities for 2001. NUSESA is a network with 15 member countries in Southern and Eastern Africa that promotes, through workshops and courses for researchers and technicians, training on how to keep laboratory equipment in good repair. Started as a part of the IFS Service and Maintenance for Scientific Equipment Programme, NUSESA is on its own these days, and in a good position to approach national and international donors.

CONGRATULATIONS TO IFS GRANTEES

We would like to congratulate the following IFS grantees for their recent accomplishments.

Dr Alfredo Herrera Estrella, Mexico, has just won the Premio de Investigación 2000 en el área de Ciencias Naturales, an award given by the Academia Mexicana de Ciencias. Dr Herrera has been studying the mechanism of action of a plant pathogen antagonist with a view to improving existing strains.

Dr Abdulai Jalloh, Sierra Leone, has managed to undertake a meticulously planned and carefully conducted study with well-documented results despite being directly affected by that countryÕs civil war. Dr Jalloh studied the effect of cassava leaf harvesting on productivity of the cassava-rice intercropping system.

Dr Mukaila Kadiri was elected and appointed Acting Dean of the College of Natural Sciences, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria, for a period of three years. Dr Suree Bhumibhamon was appointed Vice President of Kasetsart University, Krabi Campus, Thailand.

Chinyere Iwuoha, Nigeria, was awarded a PhD in 1999 for this work on the effects of processing on the physico-chemical properties of instant yam flour from Discorea rotundata. Meijun Zhu, China, was awarded a PhD in 1999 for her work in the distribution and role of membrane aquaporin in maize root. Miguel Betancourt-Lozano, Mexico, was awarded a PhD by the University of Stirling, UK, for his work on the interactive toxicity of a triazole-derivative fungicide and an organophosphate pesticide in the marine shrimp, Penaeus vannamei. Nguyen van Thu from Viet Nam successfully defended his PhD thesis on urea-molasses based supplements for multipurpose buffaloes at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

CONGRATULATIONS TO IFS SCIENTIFIC ADVISERS

Prof. Patrick Sorgeloos, Belgium, was made a Commander of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand by the Government of Thailand for 20 years of service to Chulalongkorn University, Kasetsart University, and the Thailand Department of Fisheries.

Dr Mohamed Shariff, Malaysia, won two gold medals at the International Invention, Innovation, Industrial Design and Technology Exhibition, for his white spot syndrome detection kit. White spot is a serious viral disease affecting cultured shrimps.

Congratulations and thanks go to Prof. Dietrich Leihner, Germany, who has accepted an invitation to join the FAO and will no longer be able to be as heavily involved with IFS as previously. Thanks go to Dr Douglas Gray, Australia, who is in a similar situation of not being able to spend quite as much time on IFS matters as he used to. We know they will continue to help and promote IFS in many ways.

 

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