The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is dedicated to reducing poverty and hunger through rice science, improving the health and welfare of rice farmers and consumers; and protecting the rice-growing environment for future generations. IRRI is an independent, nonprofit, research and educational institute, founded in 1960 by the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations with support from the Philippine government. The institute, headquartered in Los Baños, Philippines, has offices in 17 rice-growing countries in Asia and Africa, and over 1,000 staff. Working with in-country partners, IRRI develops advanced rice varieties that yield more grain and better withstand pests and disease as well as flooding, drought, and other harmful effects of climate change.
The IRRI South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) is an IRRI regional facility that supports research collaboration, training, and service provision to institutions, scientists, and other stakeholders from India and other South Asian and African nations. The centre aims to enhance South-South collaboration and strengthen the capacity of rice growing countries in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa in crop production and seed quality and enhance farmers’ income. It also seeks to deliver research for development services for the private and public sectors through its state-of-the-art laboratory facilities for grain quality, crop production, and nutritional quality. Lastly, it enables knowledge transfer through short courses on rice-based agri-food systems and other IRRI Education products within the region.
The Manager–Innovation role requires specialized expertise in agri-startup incubation, entrepreneurship development, and business strategy formulation under the PM-RKVY program. Existing IRRI staff do not possess the combined experience in scouting innovations, mentoring startups, and managing incubation operations at scale. The selected candidate has an expertise in guiding early-stage agri-enterprises, developing scalable business models, and fostering ecosystem linkages.
Engaging this expert ensures effective innovation management, mentorship, and successful execution of program objectives.
