2nd Scientific Conference of the Global Cassava Partnership for the 21st Century

The 2nd Scientific Conference of the Global Cassava Partnership  for the 21st Century, GCP21-II, will be held at the Speke Resort and Conference Centre, Kampala, Uganda on June 18 - 22, 2012 with the theme Cassava – Overcoming challenges of global climatic change.

The Global Cassava Partnership for the 21st Century (GCP21) was formed in 2003 by 45 institutions throughout the world, under the umbrella of the Global Cassava Development Strategy (GCDS) of IFAD/FAO. GCP21works internationally on issues of cassava research and development.

Objectives
The aims of GCP21-II include raising general awareness of the importance of the cassava in the developing world; providing a special forum for dialogue with donors; identifying gaps in cassava R&D ; setting priorities for concerted future activities; and providing a forum for cassava stakeholders to share knowledge and experiences relating to R&D in the areas of socio-economics, biodiversity and genetic resources, post-harvest, starch modification, nutrition, genomics, molecular genetic markers and gene discovery, tissue culture and transformation, biotic and abiotic stresses, participatory research, and technology transfer.

Programme
The five day programme comprises of formal plenary sessions in the mornings, concurrent oral scientific sessions and round tables in the afternoons, and poster sessions later in the day. A number of workshops and meetings are planned for the early evenings. Field trips take place Wednesday 20th June.  For the detailed agenda, click on GCP21-II Programme.

A workshop on the Integrated Breeding Platform (IBP) of the Generation Challenge Programme is scheduled for the 23rd and 24th June, immediately following GCP21-II. For details click on IBP Satellite Meeting.

Participants
The meeting will be attended by cassava stakeholders drawn from agricultural research institutes in developing countries; international agricultural research centres; agricultural research institutes in developing countries; agencies of the United Nations; governmental and non-governmental organisations; grant-making organisations; development organisations; and, business representatives from the agbiotechnology and food processing industries.

Conference Costs & Registration
The registration fee for participants is US $350, covering most meals June 18th – 22nd; airport transfers; transportation for all conference-related events, including field trips; access to all conference presentations; Conference tote bag with conference materials; DVD of conference proceedings sent to conference participants; and internet access at Conference venue. For more details, click on Conference & Hotel Costs.

The deadline for registration and payment for the conference is 15th May 2012. Early registration is open at GCP21-II Registration.  Further details on important dates and registration are available at Deadlines, Cancellations & Refunds.

Travel Grants
Travel grants to attend GCP21-II are available for persons working primarily on cassava, with priority accorded to young scientists, students and scientists from developing countries. Both full and partial Travel Grants will be awarded to cover airfare, accommodations and registration fees or portions thereof. Expenses for visa and local transportation where your trip originates and ends will NOT be covered.  Subject to the selection process, travel grants will be made on a first come first served basis. For more information, click on GCP21-II Travel Grants. To apply for a travel grant, click on application for GCP21-II travel grant.

Information
For more information, visit the Conference website.