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Background
The
Fund pays tribute to the memory of Dr. María Jesús
("Chusa") Ginés and Ms. Verónica Mera
in the name of their families, friends, individual staff members,
their programs, IDRC,
and CIAT. The two scientists lost their lives tragically in
an airplane accident on 28 January 2002, while traveling from
their base in Quito, Ecuador, to the headquarters of CIAT
in Cali, Colombia.
Maria
Jesús (Chusa) Ginés
 Chusa,
43, was the Coordinator of the CIAT-IDRC Cassava Biotechnology
Network (CBN) during 2000-2002. A dual citizen of Spain and
Canada, Chusa was a respected biodiversity expert and molecular
biologist, with a keen interest in plant genetic conservation.
Through her diverse international contacts and activities,
she also championed the rights of poor farmers. She received
her PhD in Biology (Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology)
from Carleton University in Ottawa in 1987, and a graduate
diploma in International Development and Cooperation from
the University of Ottawa in 1991.
Before
joining CIAT and CBN, Chusa worked for IDRC in Ottawa for
nearly a decade. During that time she held several progressively
senior research and management positions in the areas of biodiversity,
environment, and natural resources.
Verónica
Mera
 Verónica,
36, was a dual citizen of Ecuador and the Netherlands. She
received her MSc in Management of Agricultural Knowledge Systems
in 1998 from the Wageningen University and Research Center
in the Netherlands. She then joined the CBN as Social Scientist
and Research Associate.
Objectives
- To
provide opportunities and support to female and male master's
students from the developing countries of the world to
undertake thesis research addressing key elements of the
sustainable use and conservation of agricultural biodiversity,
in particular:
- Intellectual property rights and access to agricultural
genetic resources.
- Molecular characterization of agrobiodiversity.
- Community-based conservation of genetic agrobiodiversity.
- To
promote the bridging of the research/development divide,
by encouraging researchers and their home universities
to develop linkages with research for development projects,
and to undertake applied research which informs development
processes.
- To
explore opportunities for further expansion of this initiative
in order to involve other stakeholders.
- To
encourage and support the exchange of information, knowledge
and technology between the stakeholders in agricultural
biodiversity conservation in these countries.
Projects
Approved
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Latin
America
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Africa
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Asia
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Latin America
2008-2009
A
total of 2 PhD proposals were evaluated and approved started
in 2008 until 2009.
2005-2008
A
total of 10 proposals were evaluated and 2 were approved started
in March 2005 until 2008.
2003-2005
A total of 22 proposals were evaluated and 7 fellowships
were approved and started in October 2003 until 2005.
Africa
2006-2008
A
total of 11 proposals were received to MSc-Africa and 5 were
approved started in June 2006.
| Student |
Project
title |
University |
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Kwanda
Agricultural Research Institute
Uganda
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Asia
2008-2010
A
total of 46 proposals were received to Ph and MSc Asia and
10 were approved started in January 2009.
| Student |
Project
title |
University |
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Sweedish
University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
Sweden
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Royal
Agricultural University
Cambodia
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Wageningen
University (WRU)
Netherlands
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Asian
Institute of Technology (AIT)
Thailand
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Thai
Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry
Vietnam
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