The Science Council Secretariat (the SC Secretariat) is hosted by the Department of Sustainable Development and Research at the FAO headquarters in Rome. The SC Secretariat provides technical and administrative support to activities of the Science Council in the development of CGIAR priorities and strategies for research, mobilising science, monitoring and evaluation of Centre research activities and the assessment of the impact of the System's outputs. The SC Secretariat's role is diverse and multi-faceted, but three major contributions can be highlighted in the last year:

1. Transition to the Science Council
One of the pillars of the recent reform process in the CGIAR was the transformation of the previous Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) into a smaller, strategically-oriented independent review and evaluation body, the Science Council (SC) with an expanded mandate for ensuring that the CGIAR build stronger partnerships with scientific communities worldwide. The SC Secretariat has played a key role in facilitating the hand-over of responsibilities and maintaining the research review and monitoring functions for the CGIAR in the transition from TAC to the SC over the course of approximately 18 months. TAC was transformed into an interim SC (iSC) in early 2003 and finally late in the year into the new SC with new membership. The last meeting of the iSC was held in August 2003 and the organisational meeting of the new SC was held in February 2004. An important accomplishment during this period of transition was the continuation of virtually every sub-committee of the iSC and, in particular, work related to the reviews of Centre 2004-2006 MTPs, the new Challenge Programmes, and on various strategic studies, including the major exercise on developing priorities and strategies for the CGIAR. The SC Secretariat played a major facilitating and coordinating role in this extended process.

2. Setting up a new modus for the setting of Priorities and Strategies for the CGIAR
Formerly TAC provided guidance to the System on setting priorities for research by reference to congruence analysis. The new goals of the CGIAR, focussed broadly on sustainable poverty alleviation, require that new methods of setting priorities be developed. The iSC has initiated a widely consultative process, drawing on many stakeholders and sources of expertise in agricultural science in a novel initiative to define new priority areas for research for the CGIAR. In this multi-step, iterative process, panels of experts were formed which conducted priority-setting discussions virtually. The second step in this process, which invited comments on the draft priorities from all stakeholders, drew more than 8,000 responses including CGIAR scientists, NARI scientists, NGOs and GROs, the private sector, and international donors. Further panels including CGIAR and non-CGIAR expertise refined priorities by regions and according to budget constraints. Setting up such a widely consultative process was a major exercise for the SC Secretariat (in collaboration with a Chilean NGO RIMISP) but has resulted in panels of experts that can be drawn upon by the CGIAR in the future to assist its mission in the utilisation of agricultural science on behalf of the poor.

3. Support to MTP reviews
Evaluation of the scientific work plans and progress with research in the individual Centres is carried out by a review of the Centre 3-year Medium Term Plans. The evaluation has been carried out annually by the TAC and iSC following the annual updates of MTPs by Centres. This critically important function of gauging progress at the System and Centre level was maintained in 2003 with technical support and syntheses from the SC Secretariat facilitating the work of the three members of the iSC/SC Transition Team. In transmitting the iSC/SC Transition Team Comments on the Centre 2004-2006 MTPs to the CGIAR Chair, the Coordinator of the Team drew special attention to the efforts of his colleagues in the SC Secretariat that were producing "high quality work during this period of transition, with all its uncertainties".

SC Secretariat collaboration with other SO units in 2003

There is substantial interaction and collaboration between the SC, its Secretariat, the Centres, the System Office and other stakeholder communities.

• Collaboration with the CGIAR Secretariat on MTP Guidelines
  The SC Secretariat has recently co-operated most closely with the CGIAR Secretariat in the development of "Guidelines for Preparing the 2005-2007 Work Plans and the 2005 Financing Plans". The guidelines assume extra importance as the workplans of Centres, and the identified project milestones, become the means by which Centres' performance will be evaluated by the Science Council and by donors alike. This effort, and the resulting joint product, required a significant amount of discussion and email dialogue between the two Secretariats, working in close association with SC members.
• Collaboration with the Central Advisory Services (CAS) on CP reviews
  In 2002/2003, TAC/iSC requested the Central Advisory Services (CAS) to review three pilot Challenge Program pre- and full proposals to assess whether intellectual property (IP) issues had been adequately addressed. The SC drew on the analysis of the CAS in developing its overall assessment and commentaries for each of the CPs. This initial exercise resulted in the CP proponents becoming more conscious of IP issues and led to steps to incorporate these issues into their mode of working and into the CPs. The TT/IP Management Workshop scheduled for 28-30 June, 2004 is one example of the seriousness with which the three pilot CPs are now working to improve their understanding of IP issues and integration of good practice into their programs.
• Collaboration with the CGIAR Secretariat on the ISNAR Restructuring Team Review
  An important outcome from the discussions of the 4th ISNAR EPMR Report at AGM '02 was the establishment of an ISNAR Restructuring Team (IRT) to develop a restructuring plan for ISNAR. The IRT was chaired by Grant Scobie, and members included several subject matter experts and representatives from donors and ISNAR's Board of Trustees. Resource persons for the IRT included a staff member from the CGIAR Secretariat and the SC Secretariat--the latter had served as secretary to the 4th ISNAR EPMR. The Secretariats worked effectively together and very closely with the Chair of the IRT, providing support to the team in helping plan and coordinate the activities of the IRT. The two Secretariat members also participated in drafting different sections of the initial and final reports. The recommendations of the IRT were endorsed by Ex Co and accepted by the Group at AGM '03.