From Egypt’s priorities to investment at scale: Exploring a CGIAR Innovation Clearinghouse

How can we better connect science and innovation with countries’ priorities, investments and development ambitions? 

This question was at the heart of a strategic dialogue held in Cairo on 7 October under CGIAR’s Scaling for Impact program, Area of Work 4 (AoW4) on Scaling Partnerships and Investment. The dialogue brought together the Government of Egypt, CGIAR Centers, international financial institutions and development partners to explore how the CGIAR Innovation Clearinghouse can connect Egypt’s priorities with science, innovation and investment. 

The dialogue brought together complementary expertise from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), WorldFish, the Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), spanning water and irrigation, crops and seed systems, climate-resilient agriculture, aquatic food systems, sustainable production systems, food-system transformation, policy and investment analysis. 

A central message was clear: start with the country, not with the technology. CGIAR has no shortage of science, evidence and innovations. The challenge is moving proven solutions beyond individual projects and pilots into investments, institutions, markets and systems where they can deliver lasting impact at scale. 

Starting with Egypt’s priorities 

The dialogue began with Egypt’s priorities rather than a catalogue of technologies. Government representatives highlighted interconnected challenges including water scarcity, irrigation inefficiency, climate and heat stress, salinity, land degradation, food security, weak value chains and limited digitalization, alongside opportunities in livestock and aquaculture. 

Water emerged as a particularly important entry point. Egypt’s National Water Resources Strategy 2050 and priorities for second-generation irrigation systems point towards investments in water treatment, modern irrigation, digital transformation, improved governance and coastal resilience. 

These priorities provided the foundation for exploring how the Clearinghouse can connect Egypt’s development agenda with relevant CGIAR evidence, innovations and technical expertise. The ambition is not another technology catalogue, but a mechanism that adds value to government-led investment processes—from priority setting and project preparation through implementation, learning and scaling. 

Connecting expertise around development challenges 

A key value of the Clearinghouse is its ability to bring together expertise distributed across institutions and initiatives. 

For Egypt, a water-security challenge does not have to be addressed through water technologies alone. IWMI’s expertise in water management and irrigation can connect with ICARDA’s and CIMMYT’s expertise on climate-resilient crops, seed systems and agricultural transformation; WorldFish’s expertise on aquatic food systems; the Alliance’s expertise on sustainable and resilient production systems; and IFPRI’s evidence on food systems, policy and investment. 

This cross-CGIAR approach can help move from individual innovations towards integrated solution packages that respond to how development challenges are experienced on the ground. 

The Clearinghouse therefore starts with the development challenge and asks: what combination of evidence, innovations, partnerships, finance and implementation capacity is needed to address it at scale? 

From innovation to investment-ready solutions 

The conversations also explored how CGIAR’s diverse portfolio in Egypt could be translated into investment-ready packages around specific development challenges. 

Potential packages could address water-use efficiency, climate-resilient agriculture, land management, aquaculture and livestock, digital agriculture and food-system transformation, while connecting them to government programs, International Finance Institution (IFI) financing, national research and extension systems and private-sector value chains. 

The next step is to strengthen CGIAR’s Egypt country profile and develop more detailed innovation and project packages, including evidence on effectiveness, costs and benefits, implementation requirements, financing opportunities and contextual suitability. 

Learning from TAAT—and adapting it to Egypt 

The Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) experience provided an important reference point. TAAT demonstrates how a clearinghouse approach can connect CGIAR technologies with African Development Bank investment pipelines, government ownership, technical assistance, private-sector participation and implementation. 

The Nigeria wheat experience illustrates the potential: science and technology become more powerful when connected to investment, delivery systems and market opportunities. 

At the same time, Egypt should not simply copy the TAAT model. Its priorities, institutions and investment landscape are different. The value of the Clearinghouse will come from adapting the approach to Egypt’s own development and investment context. 

Bringing science into the investment cycle 

A central question is where CGIAR should engage earlier and more systematically in Egypt’s investment processes. 

By identifying relevant government and IFI pipelines and bringing CGIAR expertise into project scoping and preparation, the Clearinghouse can help ensure that evidence, technical advice, innovation packages and scaling pathways inform investments before major decisions are finalized, while supporting implementation, learning and adaptation. 

This is the practical ambition of the Clearinghouse: to make it easier for countries and financing partners to access the right science, expertise and partnerships at the right point in the investment cycle. 

Building the pathway together 

For Egypt, this could open pathways for scaling solutions in water harvesting, efficient and precision irrigation, wastewater reuse, solar-powered irrigation and climate-resilient agricultural systems, alongside approaches that strengthen institutions, livelihoods and resilience. 

Participants also highlighted opportunities to connect CGIAR innovations with public–private partnerships, technology licensing, accelerators, blended and climate finance, digital platforms, and opportunities for women and youth. 

The dialogue made clear that scaling is not the responsibility of one organization. Government defines priorities and ownership; CGIAR brings science and evidence; the Clearinghouse connects and packages these assets; IFIs and financing partners provide investment; and Egyptian institutions, businesses and communities drive implementation and adoption. 

Ultimately, the goal is simple: to move from innovation to investment, and from investment to impact at scale—starting with Egypt’s priorities. 

That is the promise of a country-led CGIAR Innovation Clearinghouse: a practical interface connecting government priorities, science, finance and delivery so that knowledge can become action—and action can deliver lasting development impact. 

Acknowledgements 

We thank the Government of Egypt and participating institutions for their leadership and engagement. We also thank Timothy J. Krupnik, Youssef Brouziyne (IWMI), Solomon Gizaw (IITA), and Mohie El Din Omar (ICARDA) for their leadership in shaping the dialogue, and May Attallah (IWMI), Rhiannon Crichton (ICARDA), and Amr Abdelamjeed (IWMI Consultant) for session preparation, design and moderation. 

We acknowledge colleagues from WorldFish, CIMMYT, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and IFPRI, as well as participating IFIs and development partners, for advancing country-led pathways from innovation to investment and impact at scale.