PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS IN AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH: AN ANALYSIS OF CHALLENGES FACING INDUSTRY AND THE CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

Public-private partnerships offer potentially important opportunities for pro-pooragricultural research in developing countries. Yet in the international agricultural researchcommunity--and with regard to the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research(CGIAR) itself--we see few examples of successful public-private partnerships, and fewerexamples where such collaborations have contributed to food security, poverty reduction andeconomic growth. This study assesses the opportunities for, and challenges to, creating andsustaining public-private partnerships between the international agricultural research centers ofthe CGIAR and leading multinational, research-based agribusiness companies.The study hypothesizes that the willingness and ability of public agencies and privatefirms to enter into partnerships are constrained by fundamentally different incentive structures;by insufficient minimization of the costs and risks of collaboration; by an inability to overcomemutually negative perceptions; by limited use of creative organizational mechanisms that reducecompetition over key assets and resources; and by insufficient access to information onsuccessful partnership models. The study methodology is based on interviews and discussionswith key stakeholders and a wide review of the literature on public-private partnership.Tentative findings suggest that while incentives and perceptions do differ betweensectors, sufficient common space exists or can be created through incentive structuring tofacilitate greater partnership. However, both public- and private-sector partners inadequatelyaccount for and minimize the costs and risks of partnership. Similarly, partners discount the needfor brokers and third-party actors to manage research collaborations and reduce competitionbetween sectors. Finally, partners are operating without sufficient information on existingpartnership experiences, lessons, and models, potentially contributing to a persistent or wideninggap between sectors.