Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Soybean Value Chain Research Semi-Annual Report: November 2014 – April 2015

The lab, referred to as the Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL), is a collaborative effort between the University of Illinois and other research institutions, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). During the reporting period of November 2014 to April 2015, SIL made significant progress in achieving its objectives. The lab continued to host monthly conference calls among the ten Managed Research Areas (MRAs) to share research progress, challenges, and opportunities. These calls facilitated communication and collaboration among researchers, ensuring that all MRAs were aware of progress being made on the project. SIL also hosted the first Annual Researcher Retreat Meeting in December 2014, which brought together all MRA research leads to discuss research progress, share findings, and provide updates on the lab's development impact metrics, funding pipeline, and communication plan. The meeting featured a keynote speaker, Andy Gilboy, who discussed institutional capacity building and approaches to enable institutions to build capacity and improve their performance sustainably. In addition to these efforts, SIL assembled its Advisory Board, which consists of leaders in academia, international development, and research organizations, as well as the soybean value chain private sector. The board is expected to provide strategic guidance, promote SIL activities and impacts, and identify opportunities for funding and collaboration. SIL also maintained communication with local USAID Mission offices in project countries to coordinate visits among researchers and mission staff, share project progress, and research findings. The lab encouraged researchers to share their progress with partner and collaborative institutions in-country to increase awareness and opportunities for collaboration and engagement. Furthermore, SIL administration coordinated subaward development and invoice processing for MRA institution leads and in-country partners, and actively pursued U.S. government and outside funding support to expand its efforts and achieve greater impact. The lab submitted several funding proposals, including a $450,000 to $1,000,000 proposal to USAID Mozambique for "Private Sector Support to Seed Scaling in Mozambique" in collaboration with ABT Associates. Overall, SIL made significant progress in achieving its objectives during the reporting period, with a focus on collaboration, communication, and capacity building. The lab's efforts are expected to contribute to improved soybean production and value chain development in developing countries.