Institution building, impact of the international system on national research capacity : the IRRI and CIMMYT training programs

IN CIMMYT"S CASE, IT WAS EXPECTED THAT ONCE A "CRITICAL MASS" OF TRAINED RESEARCH WORKERS WAS PRESENT IN A WHEAT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, THAT PROGRAM WOULD FUNCTION EFFECTIVELY AND THAT IT WOULD 1) WORK OUT ITS OWN RESEARCH STRUCTURE TO FIT LOCAL NEEDS AND REQUIREMENTS AND 2) TAKE OVER THE NECESSARY INFORMAL ON-THE-JOB TRAINING OF NEW PERSONNEL. TO ACHIEVE THIS, CIMMYT CONCENTRATED ON ONE SPECIFIC PRODUCTION PROBLEM, THE NEED FOR IMPROVED GENETIC TECHNOLOGY THROUGH ITS TRAINING STRATEGY, BUILT CAREFULLY AND SYSTEMATICALLY THIS RELATIVELY SIMPLE RESEARCH FUNCTION INTO EACH NATIONAL PROGRAM. THUS ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE WAS A SPECIFIC, BUT IMPLICIT, TRAINING OBJECTIVE AND IT APPEARS THAT THIS STRATEGY IS WORKING. IRRI USES THE RESEARCH PROJECT APPROACH AND TRAINS RESEARCH WORKERS IN SEPARATE DISCIPLINES. WHILE TRAINEES STUDY PRODUCTION PROBLEMS RELEVANT TO HOME COUNTRY CONDITIONS, IT APPEARS THAT IN MOST CASES THEIR RESEARCH EFFORT -- AS IT CONTRIBUTES TO THE OVERALL NATIONAL RESEARCH CAPACITY -- LACKS SUFFICIENT EMPHASIS ON AND ATTENTION TO THE PROBLEM OF PRODUCING BIOLOGICAL TECHNOLOGY.