Wheat Initiative Celebrates 15 Years of Global Research Collaboration

The Wheat Initiative marks its 15th anniversary this year, celebrating two decades of global research collaboration to improve wheat production and address pressing food security issues. The initiative was established in 2011 as the International Research Initiative for Wheat Improvement (IRIWI), with a clear international challenge: how can the global wheat research community work together to address future food security challenges?

The WI has grown into a network of wheat scientists, shared priorities, international programs, and research collaborations connected across countries and disciplines. The initiative facilitates connecting researchers, institutions, funders, and other stakeholders around improving scientific efforts for wheat, while sharing priorities and challenges.

The Wheat Initiative has built 11 expert working groups (EWGs) over the years, which focus on key scientific topics and bring international experts together through joint activities, knowledge exchange, and capacity building. The Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) is a key contribution of the WI to the global research landscape, providing an opportunity for policymakers, public research institutions, and industry to identify and coordinate international research priorities within wheat science.

Chair of the Wheat Initiative Board John Spink commented: “Wheat is the world’s most traded food and accounts for roughly 20% of the global calories and protein we consume.” The WI has also supported and connected major international collaborative programs, including the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) and the International Wheat Yield Partnership (IWYP).