Cambridge, 27 March 2025 – Beneath the storied spires of the University of Cambridge, a powerful celebration unfolded – one rooted in memory, driven by science, and animated by a vision for Africa’s future. Roots of Resilience: A Decade of Innovation & Impact marked the JR Biotek Foundation’s ten-year milestone with a day-long gathering of researchers, policy experts, business practitioners, artists, and community leaders from around the world. This landmark event not only celebrated a decade of transformative partnerships and agricultural progress across Africa but also launched the Agri-Innovation & Impact Project (AGRIIP), a bold initiative to scale climate-smart, farmer-led solutions continent-wide.
A Decade in the Making: Science in Service of Humanity
Chaired by Dr Lyn Kouadio (University of Oxford), the opening session struck a poignant and purposeful tone. It was a celebration, yes, but also a clarion call for deeper investment in science that serves people and planet.
Welcoming remarks by Professor Julian Hibberd (Head of the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge) and an opening address by Professor John Carr (Head of the Virology & Molecular Plant Pathology Research Group, University of Cambridge) acknowledged the longstanding collaboration between JR Biotek and Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences. Both speakers praised the Foundation’s contributions to scientific capacity-building across Africa, highlighting how researchers in Carr’s lab and others have been integral to this journey.
