CGIAR Genebanks costing study Consultancy

Start Date: September 2026

End Date: December 2026

Contract Type: Consultancy

Deadline for Applications: 16 September 2026 by 11:59 pm CEST

Background and context

Across eleven genebanks, CGIAR Centers are custodians of the world’s most diverse publicly available crop collections, comprising more than 700,000 accessions of more than 3,000 plant species. Under the terms of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA, hereafter ‘the Plant Treaty’), the genetic material housed in these CGIAR genebanks is freely available to researchers, breeders, local communities, and farmers; contributing to science and innovations for more resilient and sustainable food systems.

From 2025, CGIAR’s work on genebanks has been organized under the Genebanks Accelerator. The Accelerator brings together CGIAR Centers and partners to strengthen the use of crop diversity through rigorous conservation, enabling policies, and world-class phytosanitary controls. By leveraging frontier technologies in genomics, artificial intelligence (AI), and cryopreservation; the Accelerator aims to enhance the availability and impact of genetic resources worldwide.

For more than two decades, CGIAR has worked closely with the Global Crop Diversity Trust (‘Crop Trust’) alongside other funders to ensure the sufficient, sustainable, and predictable financing of genebanks consistent with Centers’ obligations under the Plant Treaty. In practice, in addition to the funding from the Crop Trust to CGIAR Centers and any earmarked contributions through CGIAR Trust Fund Window 2 (W2) to the Genebanks Accelerator and its predecessors, CGIAR has used unearmarked CGIAR Trust Fund Window 1 (W1) contributions – allocated to the Genebanks Accelerator and its predecessors – to ensure that essential genebanks operations are funded at a ringfenced, minimum level.

Underpinning this approach is a series of careful costing reviews, aiming to ensure that funding towards CGIAR genebanks keeps up with the cost of sustaining their essential operations. The last comprehensive CGIAR genebanks costing study was completed in 2020 as a joint undertaking between CGIAR and the Crop Trust, after which a lighter-touch review was carried out in 2024.

In April 2026, CGIAR’s Global Science Team (GST) agreed to launch, in 2026, an external, independent review of the costs of essential CGIAR genebank operations, associated chargeback practices, and potential efficiencies and cost savings, following CGIAR Cost Principles and Indirect Cost Guidelines. In support of a first phase of this exercise, CGIAR seeks an experienced individual or firm (hereafter “Consultant”) to carry out an external and independent assessment of the costs of and funding towards CGIAR genebanks operations, and recommended next steps.

Objectives

Through this assignment, CGIAR aims to ensure that:

• CGIAR Centers’ obligations under the Plant Treaty over the 2028—2030 time frame are fully financed;
• financing is grounded in clear, transparent, consistent, and agreed costing across Centers, genebanks, and Germplasm Health Units (GHUs); and
• near- and medium term efficiencies and cost savings are identified and realized.

Key responsibilities

Working under the oversight and guidance of a Steering Group that brings together the Genebanks Accelerator, representation from the Crop Trust, as well CGIAR finance and funding experts, the Consultant will:

• engage with key stakeholders to understand their level of confidence in and support for the current approach to costing and financing essential CGIAR genebanks operations;
• carry out a desk review of current CGIAR genebanks costs – including future-proofing activities, GHUs, and policy work – and associated financing arrangements; and
• building on the above, compile a report with conclusions and recommended next steps addressing, inter alia, the adequacy of the current costing and financing arrangements as well as any key data and information gaps that could require revisiting the comprehensive 2020 costing study.

High-level timeline

The assessment will be carried out from September to December 2026 with a view to informing next steps from January 2027.

Requirements

Key competencies

The Consultant is expected to demonstrate strong experience and expertise in the following areas:

• genebanks and their core functions in the context of science and innovations to transform food, land, and water systems;
• genebanks operations – including future-proofing activities, GHUs, and policy work – and financial management;
• CGIAR’s stakeholder landscape and work on science and innovations to transform food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis; and
• multi-stakeholder engagement in a global research for development context.

To safeguard the independence of the assessment, the Consultant cannot be formally affiliated with any current CGIAR Center or funder, or the Crop Trust.

How to Submit a Proposal

The Candidate will submit:

 •        a short profile demonstrating relevant experience and qualifications;

 •        a concise technical proposal outlining the intended approach and delivery steps within the proposed timeframe; and

 •        a simple budget proposal outlining the proposed number of working days and daily rate, with costs broken down by deliverable.

 The technical and budget proposals can be combined as one document.

 All applications must be submitted online by clicking the 'Apply' button below before 11:59 PM CET on 16 September 2026.

Benefits

All applications must be submitted online by clicking the 'Apply' button below before 11:59 PM CET on 16 September 2026.

If you require assistance or face challenges in submitting your application, please email smo-bidding@cgiar.org with the position title in the subject line. Applications submitted through smo-bidding@cgiar.org will NOT be accepted.

Please ensure your resume and cover letter are in English and does not contain your marital status, age, or photograph. Documents provided in a language other than English will not be considered.

CGIAR is committed to fair, safe, and inclusive workplaces. We believe that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. We offer a multi-cultural, multi-color, multi-generational, and multi-disciplinary, collegial working environment. We consciously create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character and commitment to gender equity. We, therefore, encourage applicants from all cultures, races, ethnicities, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientations, and gender identities.

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. 

We look forward to hearing from you!