{"id":4637,"date":"2025-01-29T06:12:30","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T06:12:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.haramaya.edu.et\/research\/?page_id=4637"},"modified":"2026-07-14T12:42:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T12:42:25","slug":"breedtech-project","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.haramaya.edu.et\/research\/breedtech-project\/","title":{"rendered":"BREEDTECH Project"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"BREEDTECH\"\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAbout\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNews\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEvents\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPartners\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tContact\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKey Targets of the Project\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\tAbout\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The BREEDTECH initiative is a transformative project aimed at advancing plant breeding and biotechnology education and research across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. This collaborative effort brings together experts from Italy, Sweden, Palestine, Kenya, and Ethiopia.<\/p>\n

Spearheaded by Egerton University in Kenya, the project is set to run from 2024 to 2027. It focuses on building capacity in plant breeding and biotechnology through various activities, including the mobility of students and academic staff, knowledge transfer workshops, and the development of research projects. The initiative also aims to upgrade research centers and laboratories, develop and review curriculums, and establish BREEDTECH incubators.<\/p>\n

The project involves a consortium of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and aims to improve the skills and competence levels of participants, ultimately contributing to agricultural transformation in the target regions<\/p>\n\t\t\t\tNews\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Haramaya University Hosts International Project Management Meeting<\/p>\n

Haramaya University hosted an international project management meeting on November 17-18, 2024, at its Main Campus.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The 2nd Project Management Meeting of BREEDTECH, an initiative focused on advancing plant breeding and biotechnology education and research in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, brought together experts from Italy, Sweden, Palestine, Kenya, and Ethiopia.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The two-day event focused on the implementation of the BREEDTECH project, which aims to increase crop production in a sustainable manner.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Dr. Abdi Mohammed, Co-PI of the project and HU’s Vice President for Administration & Development, emphasized the meeting’s goal of evaluating progress and charting the future direction of BREEDTECH.<\/p>\n

Participants explored strategies to strengthen capacity building, foster international collaborations, and promote innovative research in plant breeding and biotechnology.<\/p>\n

Dr. Abdi noted that the project, implemented in collaboration with European Universities, will benefit six institutions in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Palestine, including Haramaya and Oda Bultum Universities.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Prof. Mukitar Mohammad, President of Oda Bultum University, highlighted the importance of transforming agriculture through increased productivity achieved by utilizing improved crop varieties. He emphasized the significance of the BREEDTECH project in developing skilled human resources and acquiring valuable experiences.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.<\/p>\n

Dr. Miriam Charinbu, the chief coordinator of the BREEDTECH project, underscored the meeting’s role in providing essential resources for finalizing the curriculum designed to teach plant breeding science.<\/p>\n

Reporter: Shemsedin Mohammad<\/p>\n

Photographer: Tewodros Lishan<\/p>\n

Haramaya University Public and International Relations Directorate<\/p>\n

==================== Second Meeting =======================<\/p>\n

BREEDTECH is European Union funded project for Capacity Building that stands for \u201cBuilding Capacity in Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Education and Research through Partnership Program in Africa, Middle East and Europe for Agricultural Transformation\u201d through Erasmus+.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The project aims to build the capacity of students, researchers and academic staff in education and research in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe in the area of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

BREEDTECH is a three year cross regional project which has brought together a consortium of HEIs and a firm from Kenya, Ethiopia, Palestine, Italy, Sweden, and Serbia to implement four main work packages aiming to improve the contents of courses and curriculums, the skills and competence levels of 12 students and 24 academic staff in teaching and research activities from African and Palestinian universities. Throughout, the project is expected to improve agricultural technologies for better productivity, sustainability, environmental safety by developing and upgrading research centres and laboratories in the HEIs.<\/p>\n

Haramaya University is collaborated with other Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) of the consortium as a key participant with defined work package in the project. On the kick-off meeting, Haramaya University is represented by Dr. Abdi Mohammed (Vice President for Administration and Development and PI of the project), Dr. Alok Kumar and Mr. Tullu Tadessa as members of the project.<\/p>\n

Adjacently, Dr. Abdi and Mr. Tullu also presented the progress of two on-going projects and discussed on the way forward for one newly awarded project in collaboration with Egerton University with the fund from OeAD (Cooperation Development Research and Africa UniNet).<\/p>\n

Haramaya University Researchers Participate in Advanced Genomics and Plant Breeding Training in Sweden<\/h1>\n

Researchers, academic staff, and postgraduate students from partner institutions of the Erasmus+-funded BREEDTECH Project recently attended the third round of the Capacity Building Training workshop at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Alnarp, Sweden.<\/p>\n\"Haramaya
\nCoordinated by SLU\u2019s Dr. Ramesh Vetukuri, the one-week program focused on modern plant breeding and genomic tools. Technical sessions were delivered by experts from SLU, the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Italy, and the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops (IFVCNS) in Novi Sad, Serbia. The hybrid event brought together more than 30 in-person attendees along with online participants.\n

\"Haramaya<\/p>\n\"Haramaya
\nHaramaya University\u2019s involvement in the BREEDTECH Project is led by Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Abdi Mohammed. For this training round, the university was represented on-site by Dr. Alok Kumar, Dr. Bulti Tesso, and Fuad Abduselam, a PhD candidate. With the conclusion of this third session, the project has provided advanced, in-person training in genomic technologies to a total of 12 Haramaya University faculty members and students, while also training several MSc and PhD candidates through remote sessions.\n\"Haramaya
\nThe curriculum was designed to develop practical skills and theoretical knowledge in breeding methodologies and research approaches necessary for developing climate-resilient and high-yielding crop varieties. In addition to the technical sessions, the delegation visited one of Sweden\u2019s largest agricultural fairs, where they observed modern agricultural machinery, precision farming technologies, and sustainable farming solutions.\n\"Haramaya
\nThe workshop facilitated international knowledge exchange and supported Haramaya University’s ongoing commitment to collaborative research and innovation through the Erasmus+ BREEDTECH framework.\n

\"Haramaya<\/p>\n

Haramaya University Public & International Relations<\/p>\n\t\t\t\tEvents\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

1st<\/sup> kickoff meeting held at Egerton University, Kenya during April, 2024 for Details<\/a>. In every six months partners has to meet to discuss the progress of the project, problems in executing the deliverables, if any, and the way forward.This is 2nd<\/sup> Management meeting that Haramaya University is hosting to discuss the same for Details<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\tPartners\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

List of Project Partners<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. EGERTON UNIVERSITY\u00a0 (EgU), Kenya<\/li>\n
  2. LAIKIPIA UNIVERSITY\u00a0 (LU),\u00a0 Kenya,<\/li>\n
  3. HARAMAYA UNIVERSITY\u00a0 (HU),\u00a0 Ethiopia<\/li>\n
  4. ODA BULTUM\u00a0 UNIVERSITY\u00a0 (OBU),\u00a0 Ethiopia<\/li>\n
  5. QUDS OPEN UNIVERSITY (QOU), Palestine<\/li>\n
  6. AN-NAJAH NA TIONAL UNIVERSITY (ANNU), Palestine<\/li>\n
  7. SVERIGES LANTBRUKS UNIVERSITET\u00a0 (SLU),\u00a0 Sweden<\/li>\n
  8. PIXEL –\u00a0 ASSOCIAZIONE\u00a0 CULTURALE\u00a0 (Pixel), Italy<\/li>\n
  9. SCUOLA SUPERIORE DI STUDI UNIVERSIT ARI E DI PERFEZIONAMENTO SANNA (SSSA), Italy<\/li>\n
  10. INSTITUT ZA RATARSTVO\u00a0 I\u00a0 POVRT ARSTVO\u00a0 INSTITUT\u00a0 OD\u00a0 NACIONALNOG ZNACAJA\u00a0 ZA\u00a0 REPUBLIKU\u00a0 SRBIJU\u00a0 (IFVCNS),\u00a0 Serbia<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n\t\t\t\tContact\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    Key persons from each Institute:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Miriam Karwitha Charimbu (Project PI), Egerton University (EgU), Kenya<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
    2. Paul Kimurto, Egerton University (EgU), Kenya<\/a><\/li>\n
    3. Abdi Mohamed, Haramaya University, Ethiopia<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
    4. Alok Kumar, Haramaya University, Ethiopia<\/a><\/li>\n
    5. Kedisena Sibsibe, Haramaya University, Ethiopia<\/li>\n
    6. Amin Mohammed, Oda Bultum University, Ethiopia<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
    7. Sultan Usman, Oda Bultum University, Ethiopia<\/a><\/li>\n
    8. Obwanga Benson, Laikipia University, Kenya<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
    9. Daniel Pande, Laikipia University, Kenya<\/a><\/li>\n
    10. Aziz Abdelkareem Salameh, Al Quds Open University, Palestine<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
    11. Randa Abdelhay, Al Quds Open University, Palestine<\/a><\/li>\n
    12. Munqez Jamil, An-Najah National University (ANNU), Palestine<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
    13. Tawfiq Qubbaj, An-Najah National University (ANNU), Palestine<\/a><\/li>\n
    14. Ramesh Raju Vetukuri, SLU, Sweden<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
    15. Farideh Ghadamgahi, SLU, Sweden<\/a><\/li>\n
    16. Elisabetta Delle Donne, Pixel, Italy<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
    17. Lorenzo Martellini, Pixel, Italy<\/a><\/li>\n
    18. Matteo Dell Acqua, Sant’Anna, Italy<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
    19. Mercy Wairimu Macharia, Sant’Anna, Italy<\/a><\/li>\n
    20. Dragana Miladinovic, Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Novi Sad (IFVCNS), Serbia<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\t\t\t\tKey Targets of the Project\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

      Key targets of the project: (3 years project: 2024-2027)<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Curriculum review\/development of Plant Breeding program and Biotechnology at UG and PG levels. In case of existing curriculum review addition of Biotechnology components in the existing curriculum<\/li>\n
      2. Strengthening the Biotechnology lab by providing funds for new equipment purchase.<\/li>\n
      3. Capacity building of staffs and students by providing training in lab of European partners.<\/li>\n
      4. 12 students (2 each from African and Palestine institute) and 24 staffs (4 each from African and Palestine Institute) will be trained in the lab for advanced Plant Breeding and Biotechnological tools in the lab of European partners at Sweden, Italy and Serbia.<\/li>\n
      5. MSc student research will be supported and thesis will be co-supervised with European partners.<\/li>\n
      6. Workshop will also organize to disseminate the learning by the students to other candidates of the University and so on.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\t

        \n\t\t\t\t\tBREEDTECH Project (2024-2027):\n\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\tProject Starting Year (2024)\n\t\t\t\t\t10%\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tProject Middle Year ( 2025\/26)\n\t\t\t\t\t50%\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tProject Ending Year 2026\/27\n\t\t\t\t\t100%\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tBREEDTECH PROJECT\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t

        \n\t\t\t\t\tGallery of BREEDTECH Project\n\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t