The ISAAA Knowledge Center initiative arose in response to a request from senior policy makers and national program leaders in Southeast Asia. The principal goal is to share knowledge on all aspects of crop biotechnology for all stakeholders, including consumers, farmers, policy makers, scientists, and the media in developing countries. The initiative also aims to build capacity in national programs by establishing a network of Biotechnology Information Centers (BICs) to facilitate sound decision-making in all aspects relating to the safe use of these crops and their potential contribution to food security, poverty reduction, and environmental conservation.

The principal thrust of the initiative is the establishment of a Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology to collect and distribute an authoritative and well-documented information and knowledge base on all aspects of crop biotechnology. The Knowledge Center (KC) was established in late 2000 and is co-located with ISAAA’s SEAsiaCenter in the Philippines. The Knowledge Center is specifically tailored to meet the needs of developing countries, and supports a Global Information Network with nodes (BICs) at several national biotechnology information centers in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

ISAAA’s commitment to sharing knowledge is evidenced in its well-received series of ISAAA Briefs and The Annual Global Review of Commercialized Transgenic Crops conducted by ISAAA annually since 1996. The latter has become accepted internationally as the authoritative reference on the global deployment of commercialized genetically modified (GM) crops, and these valuable reviews will continue to be published and widely distributed by ISAAA to monitor the global deployment of GM crops in the first decade of the 21st century.

ISAAA SEAsiaCenter

c/o International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)

DAPO Box 7777

Metro Manila, Philippines

Phone: +63-2-845 0563

Fax: +63-2-845 0606

Email: knowledge.center@isaaa.org

Center Director

	Name:	Randy Hautea, Ph.D
	Position:	SEAsiaCenter Director, ISAAA Global Coordinator
	Email:	R.Hautea@isaaa.org
	Contributors
	Name:	Panfilo de Guzman, MA
	Position:	Assistant Scientist II
	Email:	P.DeGuzman@isaaa.org
	Name:	Jenny Panopio
	Position:	ISAAA Fellow
	Email:	j.panopio@isaaa.org
	Name:	Von Mark Cruz, Ph.D
	Position:	Program Manager
	Email:	vm.cruz@isaaa.org

The Core KC Staff

	Name:	Mariechel Navarro, Ph.D
	Position:	KMS Manager
	Email:	M.Navarro@isaaa.org
	Name:	Margarita Escaler-Harrison, Ph.D
	Position:	BIPS Manager
	Email:	M.Escaler@isaaa.org
	Name:	Claudia Canales, Ph.D
	Position:	Senior Program Officer
	Email:	C.Canales@isaaa.org
	Name:	Eric John Azucena
	Position:	Information Management Specialist
	Email:	e.j.azucena@cgiar.org
	Name:	Clement Dionglay
	Position:	Project Assistant
	Email:	C.Dionglay@isaaa.org
	Name:	Joan Narciso
	Position:	Program Associate
	Email:	j.o.narciso@cgiar.org