IRRI Education showcases capacity development initiatives at the 6th International Rice Congress (IRC2023)

IRRI Education, the educational arm of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) participated in the 6th International Rice Congress (IRC2023) last 16-19 October 2023, showcasing the innovations in capacity development and knowledge sharing.

The Rice Congress, held every four years, brings together scientists, policymakers, experts, and the private sector to discuss global rice trends and the changes and challenges in the agri-food sector. This year, the congress was held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Manila.

During the four-day event, IRRI Education showcased its offerings through their state-of-the-art booth which offered interactive displays that reveals information about IRRI Education and its flagship services.

Riding on IRRI’s research and innovation, IRRI Education currently operates with five service portfolios – Short & Long Courses, Scholars & Youth Engagement, Online Learning & Product Development, Knowledge Sharing, and Advisory around Capacity Development – all of which underpin the commitment to producing holistic and integrated learning solutions, addressing learning gaps and expectations with sound educational innovations for global south.

Some of the highlights of the interactive display were the featured micromodules, where IRC delegates can simulate taking some of micromodules available in IRRI Education’s Learning Management System (openlearning.cgiar.org); the upcoming courses section, where they can see dates and application links to the courses lined up for the months of October to December of this year; the available scholarship section, where interested students can check out the opportunities available for them; and the videos in every section of the display, where IRRI Education showed the highlights and impacts of its programs.

IRRI alumni were also engaged through the feature dubbed as the IRRI Alumni Map. Previous scholars and trainees had fun pinning their locations in the map and connecting with other alumni from the same area as them. Aside from the interaction with the scholars, the map was designed to show the diversity of the IRRI Education alumni network.

For the duration of the congress, IRRI Education engaged in meaningful conversations with the attendees, ranging from scientists and researchers, leaders and policymakers, members of the private sector to students and local farmers. These conversations are expected to shape and inform the current and future program offerings of IRRI Education to align with the demands of its stakeholders.