PETROPAVLOVSK, Kazakhstan – The Islamic Organisation for Food Security, in partnership with the Center of Agrocompetence of Kozybayev University of Kazakhstan and the University of Arizona, successfully organized a five-day Spring School on Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics from May 18-22 in Petropavlovsk.
The training was held under the OIC Strategic Commodities Programme and focused on rice and wheat – two staple crops critical to food security across member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
The program brought together representatives of agriculture ministries and agricultural research institutes from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Participants engaged in an intensive curriculum covering modern genomic tools and bioinformatics methodologies directly applicable to crop improvement research, combining theoretical modules on whole-genome sequencing, genome assembly and annotation, eukaryotic genomics, and advanced bioinformatics pipelines. The curriculum combined theoretical sessions with hands-on training using industry-standard software tools.
The programme was led by internationally recognised scientists, including Prof. Rod A. Wing of the Arizona Genomics Institute at the University of Arizona and Prof. Andrea Zuccolo of Kozybayev University. Remote speakers from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, the University of Leeds and the Arizona Genomics Institute also participated.
Kazakhstan’s Minister of Science and Higher Education and Kozybayev University Rector Yerbol Issakayev attended the opening ceremony, highlighting institutional support for the initiative.
The OIC Strategic Commodities Programme aims to strengthen scientific and institutional capacity in OIC member states, improve self-sufficiency in key food staples, mitigate vulnerability to global supply disruptions, and support the development of climate-resilient crop varieties.
The success of this Spring School signals the growing momentum behind collaborative efforts to harness cutting-edge science for the benefit of farming communities across the OIC region. IOFS looks forward to expanding such capacity-building initiatives and deepening partnerships with leading academic and research institutions worldwide.
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