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Vavilov-Frankel Fellowships Fellowship History The International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) established the Fellowship Fund, in 1989, to commemorate the unique and pioneering contributions to plant science made by Academician Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov of Russia and Sir Otto Frankel of Australia. Vavilov was one of the first scientists to recognize the value of genetic diversity in domesticated crop plants and their wild relatives to crop improvement. Perhaps his most lasting contribution was the identification of eight geographic areas, known as ‘centres of diversity’, that contain a large proportion of this diversity. Frankel was an early advocate of the importance of landraces for plant breeding. He also played a major role in raising international awareness of the urgency of conserving plant genetic resources.
The aim of the Vavilov-Frankel Fellowship Fund is to encourage the conservation and use of plant genetic
resources by enabling outstanding young scientists to carry out relevant, innovative research outside their own
countries for a period of between three months and one year. Applicants must demonstrate the importance and
benefit of their proposed research to their home country and indicate how it will be applied upon their return.
In this way, the Vavilov-Frankel Fellowship Fund helps countries build
the scientific capacity they need to address urgent issues relating to
the management of plant genetic resources and to promote the
contribution of those resources to development.
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Fax: +39-0661979661
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