Center of Excellence in Genomics & Systems Biology

09/04/2026

It’s been a really exciting and enriching time at CEGSB!

Over the past few weeks, we’ve had the pleasure of hosting a diverse group of visitors and trainees—from Ethiopian delegates supported by IFAD and the Ministry of Agriculture, Ethiopia, to participants of ITEC courses on Seed Systems and Climate-Smart, Nutri-rich crops.

We were also happy to welcome Dr. Ashish Saxena, Director, Global Maize Program from CIMMYT, Dr. Martijn Noort from the University of Wageningen, Netherlands, Shri Ravinder garu IAS, Principal Secretary, Agriculture & Allied Departments, Government of Uttar Pradesh, Dr. Prashant Bodake, Director of Research, MPKV Rahuri, and many enthusiastic learners, including Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University (PJTAU) PhD students, who spent time with us gaining hands-on experience in genomics-assisted plant breeding and molecular lab protocols.

What stood out the most was the exchange of ideas, curiosity, and shared passion for improving agriculture through science. These visits are always a great reminder that collaboration—across countries, institutions, and disciplines—is what really drives impact.

Sharing a few moments from these interactions 📸

28/03/2026

🎉 *CEGSB CHAMPIONS SHINE!* 🚀

Huge congrats to Dr. Manish Pandey's powerhouse team on sweeping 5 prestigious awards at ICRISAT's 55th Annual Day! 🌟 Honoured by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to Govt. of India.

*Award Winners:*
- *Outstanding Scientific Article*: Dr. Manish Pandey, Dr. Vinay Sharma, Dr. Prakash Gangashetty, Dr. Mamta Sharma
- *Exceptional Article (High Impact Journal)*: Dr. Pradeep Ruperao, Dr. Manish Pandey, Dr. Vinay Sharma
- *Service Award*: Contributions to ICRISAT's mandate
- *Promising Young Scientist*: Dr. Ragavendran Abbai
- *First Grant Award (PI)*: Dr. Shilpi Dixit

Kudos to the rockstars! 🙌 CEGSB is bursting with pride! "

24/02/2026

We were honored to host several distinguished visitors at CEGSB recently.

It was a privilege to welcome scientists from Uttar Pradesh (UPCAR), officers of the Indian Administrative Service from the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, PAT trainees of ICAR, and delegates from Dr. Reddy's Laboratories. The visit provided a valuable opportunity to showcase our state-of-the-art genomics facilities and discuss how advances in genomics are accelerating modern breeding programs.

We were also delighted to host:
Dr. Gustavo Teixeira, Global Shared Service Lead, CGIAR (Mexico)
Dr. Rajaguru Bohar, Global Shared Lab Service Lead, CGIAR (Nairobi)

The discussions focused on strengthening shared lab services and had a project review meeting.

A special mention and best wishes to Daniel Blade.💐

23/02/2026

11/02/2026

We were honored to be part of an important international visit to ICRISAT Headquarters from 7–9 February 2026.

Building on this strong legacy of collaboration, ICRISAT hosted a high-level delegation from the Government of Niger.

The delegation was led by His Excellency Elhadji Ousmane Mahaman, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, and included:
• Ms. Salamatou Hassane Yacouba, Director of Seed Quality Control and Certification
• His Excellency Colonel Major Zada Seidou, Ambassador of Niger to India
• Dr. Abdoulaye Bankoula, Representative of the Association of Agricultural Engineers of Niger

At CEGSB, we were pleased to showcase our state-of-the-art genomics facilities and our ongoing research initiatives, which are contributing to global agricultural transformation.

We sincerely thank the delegation for their visit and look forward to continued collaboration.🙏

29/01/2026

We were pleased to host Dr. Audrey Delahunty, Senior Research Scientist (Agronomy), Agriculture Victoria Research, DEECA, Australia, at the CEGSB. During the visit, we discussed our ongoing genomics research activities and showcased our state-of-the-art genomics facilities, highlighting advanced platforms supporting crop improvement.

18/12/2025

🌍DSI Hands-on Training at ICRISAT

Genebank and CEGSB, in collaboration with AfricaRice and the Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT, hosted a five-day (Dec 8-12, 2025) hands-on training workshop on Digital Sequence Information (DSI) under the CGIAR Genebanks Initiative.

Scientists from Asia and Africa (12 countries) strengthened practical skills—from 🧬DNA extraction to high-throughput genotyping and 📊SNP data analysis—through intensive lab sessions, expert interactions, and facility visits.🌱