Claudia Zaccari

Claudia Zaccari is a Senior Project Analyst, AgriTech Venture Accelerator within the Global Partnerships unit at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, based in Rome. As part of the Accelerate for Impact Platform team, Claudia leads the design, planning, and implementation of core accelerator activities and thematic, country-specific innovation challenges in the Middle East and North Africa. She has helped develop a standardized, replicable methodology to scout, support, and scale science-based innovations in the pre-commercial or conceptual stage addressing sustainable agriculture and climate action, and while linking them with CGIAR science to maximize delivery and impact.  

Claudia also supports efforts to build a pipeline of funders, investors, and strategic partners to strengthen multidisciplinary, public-private collaboration, optimize resource use, and drive effective external engagement. Her work contributes to advancing Alliance and CGIAR-led innovations and positioning their science for impact in key innovation platforms and events.  

Claudia holds a Master’s Degree in International Development with a focus on sustainable food systems from the University of Edinburgh. Her thesis, completed as a work-based project with Traidcraft Exchange, examined smallholder farmers’ participation in agricultural export value chains in East Africa. Before joining the Alliance, Claudia worked as project officer with a consultancy start-up specialized in connecting African agribusinesses to European entrepreneurs to open new trade linkages.