Last 22 March, Dr. Gururaj Guddappa Kulkarni, Global Head of Research Infrastructure & Regulatory Compliance of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Director of the IRRI Bio-Innovation Center (IRRI BIC), was invited to give a guest lecture at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Dr. Kulkarni talked to ICBA leads and staff about best practices in institutional stewardship and regulatory compliance, as well as about the Bio-Innovation Center, an initiative that allows private and public sector partners to leverage IRRI's world-class research infrastructure, expertise, and resources for the development or scaling up of their own products or research solutions.

Established in 1999 as an international non-profit organization focused on applied agricultural research for marginal environments, ICBA scientists was very receptive to Dr. Kulkarni's lecture, as the organization is open to collaborative opportunities and moving forward on its own journey for stewardship and other regulatory areas.

Dr. Kulkarni was invited by Dr. R.K. Singh, ICBA Principal Scientist for Plant Breeding and Program Leader on Crop Diversification and Genetics. Dr. Singh was formerly a senior scientist and rice breeder at IRRI from 2005 to 2018, leading and coordinating rice research, breeding, and trait development activities in Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia for stresses such as salinity, drought, heat, and problem soils.