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October 2022 Meeting Summary

We gathered on October 24-25, 2022, in the beautiful city of Bonn, Germany! This was a special meeting focused on "Strengthening relationships and developing new partnerships," and it served as the foundation for how we've grown over the last few years.

Reflecting on our partnerships​

We spent a lot of time thinking about the human side of our work. We brainstormed what makes a partnership with a genebank truly thrive: things like a shared vision and a long history of collaboration, and the hurdles that can sometimes get in the way.

We talked openly about the "frustrating" parts of the journey, like the challenges of high staff turnover in national collections or the fear some institutions have about losing ownership of their data. Acknowledging these pain points helped us realize that our overarching goal must be to "keep partner genebanks happy" so that the flow of vital data continues.

Grounding our vision in reality​

To make sure our future plans were based on a clear-eyed view of where we stand, we conducted a deep-dive SWOT analysis.

We celebrated our strengths, like our ten years of stability and our recognition as a key part of the ITPGRFA Global Information System (GLIS), but we were also honest about our weaknesses. We identified that our interface was too English-centric and that we were too focused on passport data when our users were craving more climate and environment datasets.

Crafting the 2023-2025 Strategy​

All these reflections led us to the most important part of the meeting: conceptualizing the Genesys Strategy for 2023-2025. We decided to think of Genesys as the essential interface between those who provide the data and those who use it.

We structured our vision around three key pillars:

  • Supporting our Data Providers: Focusing on national genebanks and using tools like the Passport Data Completeness Index (PDCI) to help curators improve their data.
  • Enhancing the Platform: Exploring new ways to visualize data (like 3D models!) and translating the site into more languages.
  • Engaging our Data Users: Strengthening our ties with the breeding community and co-developing new features with the people who actually use the platform every day.

Who joined us​

A huge thank you to the experts who traveled to Bonn to help us shape this roadmap:

  • Chris Richards (USDA, USA) - Chair
  • Peter Wenzl (Alliance/CGIAR)
  • Semíramis Rabelo Ramalho Ramos (EMBRAPA, Brazil)
  • Stephan Weise (IPK, Germany)
  • Francisco Lopez (ITPGRFA, FAO)
  • Luigi Guarino (Crop Trust)
  • Christelle Rabil and Matija Obreza (Genesys Team, Crop Trust)
  • Sarada Krishnan (Director of Programs, Crop Trust)

With the wonderful facilitation of Hannah Jaenicke.

The result of our work​

The discussions in Bonn weren't just about talking; they resulted in a concrete plan of action. This meeting breathed life into the strategy that has guided every update and new feature we've launched since.

You can read the full, refined strategy here: Genesys Strategy 2023-2025