Press and News The Alliance and the Istituto Affari Internazionali sign a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation on food security and international policy
Rome, Italy, 30 July 2026 - The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT and the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a cooperation framework that brings together the Alliance's research and institutional development capacities with IAI's expertise in international relations and policy analysis. The partnership aims to advance shared priorities at the intersection of food security and global policy.
A shared agenda on food security and global policy
The signing marks the beginning of a new collaboration between two institutions with complementary mandates: the Alliance's grounding in agricultural research and agri-food systems, and IAI's long-standing role in shaping debate on international and European politics and multilateral cooperation. Together, the two organizations intend to combine their research, institutional development, capacity development, and impact pathway skills to further their respective missions.
Under the MoU, the Parties will explore joint initiatives such as high-level events, the development of innovative methodologies, and research on shared priorities, including:
- the impact of geopolitical and environmental shocks on food systems
- European and Italian policies for food security
- Africa's agri-food systems
- digitalization and Artificial Intelligence
- Public-Private Partnerships
"Questions like how geopolitical shocks ripple through food systems, or what digitalization means for smallholder farmers, sit right at the intersection of our research and IAI's reading of international politics. This MoU gives us a way to think through that intersection together, testing ideas earlier, and building joint analysis that draws on both institutions' strengths," said Juan Lucas Restrepo, Director General of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT.
Juan Lucas Restrepo
Director General, and Trustee, Bioversity International UK/USA“With this MoU, IAI is opening up a new strand of work, bringing its expertise in international relations to an increasingly important debate on food security. Together with the Alliance, we will bring scientific research and policy analysis together to address the various challenges more effectively. For IAI, this is a key commitment, as Rome is home to the three United Nations agencies for food and agriculture. In this way, IAI is helping to strengthen the ecosystem around them,” said Marco Simoni, Director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali.
Marco Simoni
Director of the Istituto Affari InternazionaliThe MoU also reflects Italy's role as host country to both institutions, based in Rome, and its continued commitment to supporting international research, cooperation, and policy dialogue.
About the Alliance
The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people's lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.
The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future.
About IAI
The Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) is a private, independent non-profit think tank founded in Rome in 1965 on the initiative of Altiero Spinelli. IAI promotes awareness of international politics and contributes to the advancement of European integration and multilateral cooperation.
IAI is part of a wide international network of research institutes and think tanks specialized in international relations, and collaborates with the Italian government, public administrations, European and international institutions, universities, major national economic actors, media, and leading international think tanks.
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