Blog From Discover to Launch: The Journey of Research and Market Pathways So Far
Dive into this recap on the progress of the RAMP – Research and Market Pathways program to date, as we introduce our webpage as a resource hub, share key insights from the Discover workshops, and highlight the opportunities for CGIAR scientists, scaling leaders, and agri-food industry partners to join the next phase of turning scientific discoveries into market-ready solutions, RAMP-Launch.
TL;DR: Key RAMP Updates
- Register for RAMP-Launch: CGIAR scientists can sign up now to join RAMP-Launch, a series of training workshops delivered throughout February to help you with market validation and scaling strategies for your innovation. Register here
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Visit the RAMP Webpage: Scientists and External Partners alike can explore resources including FAQs, upcoming cohorts, and collaboration opportunities. Contact the Accelerate for Impact Platform team to explore partnership benefits, opportunities to integrate your science into RAMP’s methodology, and share feedback. Learn more here
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Dig Deeper into the Results so far: Read on for details on the outcomes of RAMP’s first phase, Discover, and the activities at CGIAR’s Scaling Week 2024.
Agricultural research from CGIAR and its partners holds immense potential to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges across food, land, and water systems. Yet too often, innovative discoveries remain largely within research centers, lacking the mechanisms and resources necessary to transition to self-sustaining models where their impact could reach beneficiaries like smallholders or value chain actors.
Recognizing this, the Accelerate for Impact Platform created RAMP – Research and Market Pathways, an internal accelerator program to equip Alliance / CGIAR scientists with the skills and support needed to translate scientific discoveries into market-viable solutions that create impact-at-scale.
Since its kickoff last autumn, RAMP has become a critical pathway for CGIAR scientists to translate promising research into market-viable solutions. With 2025 ahead, the program continues its pathways through three learning stages—Discover, Launch, and Accelerate— to develop business models and clear go-to-market strategy for the most promising Alliance / CGIAR-led innovations and match them with further market opportunities (e.g., additional grant for further development, partnership with ag-food industry) for long-term sustainability, valorization, and impact.
Critically, the effort to transition CGIAR innovations from lab to market is not about commercialization for its own sake—it’s about expanding strategies to make a lasting impact with research. By fostering entrepreneurial thinking, RAMP aims to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and real-world application.
Lessons from Phase 1: RAMP-Discover
The journey of RAMP started with phase one, Discover. Throughout Autumn 2024, three cohorts of RAMP-Discover were delivered, aiming to introduce CGIAR scientists at all levels to entrepreneurial concepts through workshops designed to help identify new audiences and impact pathways for their research. Feedback from participants expressed that the structured tools, like idea canvassing and audience mapping, helped broaden their thinking and envision new pathways to scale their research. The Discover workshops attracted 155 registrants, out of which live participants joined from 26 countries and nine CGIAR research centers. See the infographic below for additional insights and feedback from participants.
Another key development from Autumn 2024 was RAMP’s engagement at the 2024 CGIAR Scaling Week to share program progress and seek feedback from scaling champions across CGIAR. In Nairobi, Kenya, scaling champions from across CGIAR’s research centers gathered for the conference joined the Accelerate for Impact Platform’s side event, devoted to sharing RAMP’s progress and sourcing feedback.
What emerged from the discussion was the importance of RAMP as a key strategy complementing the broader efforts of the Scaling for Impact Program. By collaborating with scaling leaders and existing initiatives such as PRMS, responsible scaling, and user-centered product development, RAMP will continue to align its activities and methodology with complementary initiatives and knowledge products. The conversations at Scaling Week echoed RAMP’s mission to sustain research impact beyond the grant cycle, enabling innovations to thrive in practical, scalable contexts.
Now Join Phase 2: RAMP-Launch
Registration is now open for the next phase of the journey, RAMP-Launch! Participants in RAMP-Launch will follow weekly expert-led training sessions, culminating in a final presentation with detailed feedback.
What’s in store:
- Early-stage Market Validation: Test your ideas with potential customers and external stakeholders
- Business Model Development: Explore a number of sustainable models to support further development and delivery of your innovation
- Expert Feedback: Present your innovation for detailed feedback and identify the next steps to progress your idea; for example, participation in RAMP-Accelerate cohort, collaborative research or joint development with agri-food industry, consultancy, licensing, social enterprise development, or venture spinout
Who should join?
Any CGIAR scientist working on a research product for which they are interested in investigating market-pathways to scale is welcome. Multiple scientists working on the same innovation are permitted, and encouraged to each register.
Key Dates:
Even if you cannot attend all of the sessions live, we encourage you to still sign up, as recordings will be made available to those registered.
- Registration Deadline: Friday, 31 January 2025
- Session 1: Monday, 3 February 2025, 15:00 – 17:00 CET
- Session 2: Monday, 10 February 2025, 15:00 – 17:00 CET
- Session 3: Monday, 17 February 2025, 15:00 – 17:00 CET
- Presentations: Monday, 3 March 2025, 15:00 – 18:00 CET
Introducing the RAMP Webpage – Central Resource for Info and Partnership
RAMP has published a dedicated webpage useful for CGIAR scientists and external partners alike—a hub for resources, FAQs, and collaboration opportunities.
Explore the webpage:
CGIAR scientists can find answers to frequently asked questions, like eligibility by program stage; the latest information on registration for upcoming cohorts; and an access point to the RAMP learning management system for those in-training.
Agri-Food Industry leaders can seize the opportunity to be a Partner in RAMP’s Accelerate stage; shaping the program’s focus by contributing to priority area decisions; nominating an expert to join our Selection Committee; and offering structured entry points for joint development, mentorship, and access to innovation networks. By joining RAMP as a partner in the Accelerate stage, partners will gain early access to cutting-edge technologies, de-risked innovation through scientific validation, investment opportunities, and ecosystem leadership through mentorship and strategic collaborations.
Looking Ahead
Following RAMP-Launch, mid-2025 will see the selection, bootcamp, curriculum, and demo day for RAMP’s third phase: Accelerate. RAMP-Accelerate is a selective cohort-style accelerator open to seven Alliance-led innovations. Applicants will have the opportunity in their applications to request funding to support participation in the cohort [time buyout, budget for business development, etc.] and take advantage of the opportunities for in-person bootcamp training, mentorship, extensive market validation, team building, and collaboration with agri-food industry partners. By the culmination demo-day of RAMP-Accelerate, innovations in the cohort shall be well-positioned to raise funding, pitch to customers or partners, and/or build their team for further development. For the latest updates, check the RAMP Webpage or contact the Accelerate for Impact Platform team.
By embracing market pathways to impact-at-scale, CGIAR will continue strengthening how its research reaches those who need it most, driving meaningful change for farmers, communities, and ecosystems. Let’s work together to ramp-up our efforts to scale innovations through market pathways. Visit the RAMP webpage, register for RAMP-Launch, and connect with our team to learn more.
RAMP – Research and Market Pathways is a program delivered by The CGIAR Accelerate for Impact Platform (A4IP) in partnership with Kindling Ventures. A4IP is the venture space that leverages CGIAR’s legacy in research and innovation to co-design, accelerate, and de-risk the development and deployment of science-based technology-driven solutions for sustainable agriculture and climate action.
