New MoU links CIMMYT’s breeding leadership with KAUST’s computational strength to build climate-resilient food systems

CIMMYT and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have formalized a strategic scientific partnership aimed at accelerating crop improvement through advanced genomics, bioinformatics, and data-driven agricultural research, reinforcing global efforts to build resilient, productive, and sustainable food systems.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed virtually on December 2 by Bram Govaerts, Director General of CIMMYT, and Professor Erwan Arzel, Director of Research Funding and Services at KAUST, establishes a long-term framework for collaborative research, innovation, and capacity strengthening at the intersection of computational science and applied agricultural research.

By combining CIMMYT’s decades-long leadership in maize and wheat improvement with KAUST’s globally recognized excellence in computational biology and advanced research infrastructure, the partnership aims to shorten breeding cycles and unlock new frontiers in genomic-assisted crop development. Key areas of collaboration include the joint development and application of bioinformatics and genomic tools, targeted capacity building through workshops, technical exchanges, and graduate training, and the co-creation of interoperable data platforms, standards, and best practices to ensure research quality, scalability, and real-world impact.

“This partnership exemplifies the kind of bold, science-driven cooperation needed to deliver resilient crops and sustainable food systems for the future,” said Bram Govaerts, CIMMYT Director General. “By integrating CIMMYT’s mission-driven agricultural science with KAUST’s world-class computational expertise and regional leadership, we can unlock innovations that directly support farmers and food security across the Global South.”

Professor Mark Tester, Chair of KAUST’s Center of Excellence for Sustainable Food Security, underscored the urgency of such collaborations. “Adapting to environmental change demands truly innovative approaches that account for variable climates and water scarcity. This partnership brings together two world-leading institutions with complementary strengths to move faster and tackle the most pressing food security challenges.”

Aligned with regional ambition and global need

The collaboration comes at a strategically significant moment, as Saudi Arabia intensifies investment in agricultural innovation to enhance food system resilience amid climate and resource constraints. The MoU aligns closely with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 Strategy, which places innovation, sustainability, and food security at the core of national development, and positions the country as an emerging global hub for scientific excellence.

While newly formalized, the partnership builds on more than a decade of informal collaboration between CIMMYT and KAUST, including research exchanges and joint scientific initiatives. The MoU now provides a structured framework to scale these efforts, leveraging KAUST’s advanced computational ecosystem and CIMMYT’s world-leading germplasm resources and breeding platforms.

The CIMMYT–KAUST alliance is expected to generate transformative advances in crop resilience, productivity, and sustainability, with benefits extending across the Gulf, Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Together, the institutions aim to accelerate the translation of cutting-edge genomic science into field-ready solutions—strengthening global food security at a time of mounting climate and demographic pressure.