IRRI Education

What IRRI Education does

IRRI Education is the educational and capacity-building division of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), a non-profit international agricultural research organization operating under the CGIAR system. Founded in 1962 and headquartered in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines, with a South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) in Varanasi, India, the organization delivers rice science education through five interconnected service portfolios: Short and Long Courses (anchored by the flagship three-week Rice: Research to Production / RR2P program launched in 2007), Online Learning via the OpenLearning platform at openlearning.cgiar.org, Knowledge Platforms including the Rice Knowledge Bank, Advisory around Capacity Development, and Scholars & Youth Engagement programs. It serves researchers, early-career scientists, extension workers, farmers, students, and government agricultural agencies from developing countries across Asia, Africa, and beyond.

The organization leverages IRRI's research infrastructure including laboratories, the International Rice Genebank (132,000+ rice accessions), and field facilities for hands-on training, supplemented by a proprietary Digital Agriculture Tools Suite (WeRise, ORYZA, RiceDoctor, Rice Crop Manager, MOET, PRIME, LKP, STAR) and the SRP Authorized Trainer certification pathway. Distribution combines face-to-face residential courses at the Philippines and India hubs, the OpenLearning digital platform, and institutional partnerships with universities (UPLB, Purdue, GBPUAT, BAU, UNHAS) and government agencies (DA Philippines, Odisha DOA, RDA Korea, ICAR).

IRRI Education operates as a non-profit funded through CGIAR pooled funds, bilateral grants (ADB, World Bank, NSF, ICAR), and institutional partnerships rather than commercial fee-based revenue. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; scholarships such as the ADB-Japan Scholarship Program (80 alumni since 1988) and the NSF-funded PSGFS/Purdue pathway support qualified participants from developing countries. Over 60 years, the organization has trained 19,700+ students across 100+ courses, with 300+ professionals completing the flagship RR2P program since 2007.

Name

IRRI Education

Legal name

IRRI Education (Educational and Capacity-Building Arm of the International Rice Research Institute)

Website

https://education.irri.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IRRI Education is the educational and capacity-building arm of the International Rice Research Institute, delivering rice science training, online courses, scholarships, and advisory services to researchers, extension workers, farmers, students, and government agencies globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Education and Capacity Development

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Short-Term Exchange & Visiting Student Programs (EDAIABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Video Conferencing for Education (Education-Optimized Meetings/Webinars) (EDAFABAB)

Keywords

• Agricultural education
• Rice science training
• Capacity development
• Agricultural extension services
• Research training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Baños

HQ country

Philippines

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Capacity Development Services: IRRI Education operates as a non-profit educational arm of IRRI, providing capacity development programs funded through grants, partnerships, and institutional collaborations rather than commercial revenue generation. Services include short courses, scholarships, and consultancies.
2. Scholarships and Fellowships: The organization offers scholarships to support highly qualified scientists from developing countries, funded through partnerships with organizations like ADB-Japan Scholarship Program.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IRRI Education is the educational and capacity-building arm of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), delivering training programs, courses, and educational services in rice science and related agricultural technologies. It offers immersive residential courses (including the flagship three-week Rice: Research to Production course), online learning via the OpenLearning platform, the Rice Knowledge Bank, customized capacity-development advisory services, and scholarships and youth engagement programs for scientists, extension workers, farmers, and students globally.

Product overview

IRRI Education operates as a capacity-building and educational arm of the International Rice Research Institute, offering a comprehensive portfolio of learning solutions for the agricultural sector. The organization provides five interconnected service portfolios: Short and Long Courses (including the flagship Rice: Research to Production course), Online Learning through the OpenLearning platform, Knowledge Platforms (Rice Knowledge Bank), Advisory around Capacity Development, and Scholars & Youth Engagement programs. Programs target students, early career researchers, scientists, extension workers, farmers, and agricultural professionals, with offerings spanning from immersive three-week residential courses to online self-paced modules and customized consultancy services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rice: Research to Production (RR2P) Flagship three-week intensive training course covering rice production to market, research issues, breeding advancements, and international collaboration; participants engage in hands-on field activities at IRRI facilities.
• Short & Long Courses Immersive training programs focusing on innovations, skills, and knowledge around rice science and technologies for scientists, researchers, extension workers, and farmers.
• Online Learning and Product Development Just-in-time, learner-centered, expert-designed, and impact-driven accessible learning programs for the rice-based agri-food sector, available anywhere, anytime.
• Rice Knowledge Bank Curated knowledge database containing country-specific rice production techniques, agricultural technologies, and best farming practices.
• Advisory around Capacity Development (CapDev) Consultancy services supporting organizations' capacity-development needs around rice-based agri-food systems.
• Scholars & Youth Engagement Programs attracting young people that provide academic excellence, professional development, and personal growth opportunities, including degree programs, non-degree programs, and scholarships.
• OpenLearning Platform Open learning management system providing access to online courses, self-paced modules, and educational resources for the agricultural sector.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ individuals trained through RR2P program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Purdue UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaboration through Plant Science for Global Food Security (PSGFS) Program funded by NSF. Enables undergraduate students from Purdue and partner US institutions to participate in RR2P course at IRRI and conduct hands-on research.
• CGIARcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRRI Education is the educational arm of IRRI, which is part of the CGIAR system. CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future, providing institutional framework and support for IRRI's education initiatives.
• Bihar Agricultural University (BAU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration under Climate Resilient Agriculture Initiative of Government of Bihar. Programs include training on modern rice production technology, climate smart agriculture, and post-production practices for farmers and scientists.
• Rural Development Administration (RDA) KoreacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for capacity development programs on seed production and rice cultivation. IRRI-RDA Agricultural Technology Cooperation aims to share information and build capacity for enhancing agro-industry technology transfer system in Asia.
• Hasanuddin University (UNHAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for digital agriculture training in Indonesia. Training conducted for faculty, researchers, and extension workers from UNHAS and various Indonesian agricultural institutions.
• Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRRI is an authorized training provider for SRP Standard and Performance Indicators. Provides certification for trainers to deliver SRP training at scale.
• Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint training programs on breeding, phenotyping, and genomic selection. Collaboration under OneRicePH Project to unify Philippines' rice breeding and dissemination strategy.
• University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for genomic selection training and research. UPLB students participate in IRRI programs and ADB-JSP scholars conduct research at IRRI.
• Philippine Department of AgricultureflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSERVE 2 project collaboration for capacity development of national research and extension partners. Supports RR2P courses and training programs for DA staff and attached agencies.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WorldFish: CGIAR center with similar capacity development, training courses and online learning programs for aquatic food systems. Comparable non-profit education/training unit structure serving developing-country researchers and practitioners.
• CIMMYT (Int'l Maize and Wheat Improvement Center): Sister CGIAR research center with comparable capacity development and training programs for wheat/maize. Operates under the same CGIAR system and funding model, with parallel short courses, visiting student programs, and knowledge banks targeting developing-country agricultural professionals.
• Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice): CGIAR center focused on rice in Africa with overlapping training and capacity development mandate. Most directly comparable peer given shared crop focus (rice) and identical institutional/governance structure as a CGIAR center serving developing-country agricultural professionals.
• IITA (Int'l Institute of Tropical Agriculture): CGIAR center with capacity development programs for tropical agriculture, including training, scholarships and partnerships with African universities. Directly comparable institutional model and target customer segments.
• CIP (Int'l Potato Center): CGIAR research center with parallel training and capacity development offerings for root and tuber crops. Comparable institutional structure, donor base and target customers (researchers, extension workers, government agriculture departments).
• ICRISAT (Int'l Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics): CGIAR sister center with parallel capacity development, training courses and youth engagement programs targeting researchers and extension workers in dryland crops. Comparable governance, funding model and target customer segments.

Emerging players

• CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International): International not-for-profit providing agricultural information, training and capacity development for researchers and extension workers in developing countries. Overlaps with IRRI Education on knowledge platforms, plant health training and developing-country capacity building.

Broad incumbents

• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization): UN agency with global capacity development programs in agriculture, including training courses, e-learning platforms and partnerships with national agriculture departments. Much larger and broader incumbent, but with comparable training-for-government-agriculture-staff mandate.
• Wageningen University & Research: Largest global agricultural research and education institution; offers overlapping short courses, online learning and capacity development programs for international agricultural professionals. A much broader incumbent with similar target customers but broader crop and topic coverage.

Regional players

• University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) - College of Agriculture: Academic partner and the premier agricultural university in the Philippines; offers overlapping degree, non-degree and graduate scholarship programs. Comparable target customers (Filipino and Asian agricultural researchers) and complementary rather than directly competing program mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/IRRIEducation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irrieducation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about IRRI Education