CGIAR and partners launch Scaling Hub South Asia in Nepal with major commitments to strengthen water and agrifood security

Nepal’s push to secure reliable and year-round irrigation and resilient food systems received a major boost today with the launch of the Scaling Hub South Asia.

CGIAR

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Lalitpur, Nepal: - 11 December 2025 - Nepal’s push to secure reliable and year-round irrigation and resilient food systems received a major boost today with the launch of the Scaling Hub South Asia. This new multi-sector platform is designed to accelerate proven agricultural, water and energy innovations to scale as the world tackles climate change and other global crises. The Hub was launched during the Strategic Partner Dialogue, where Dr. Madan Prasad Pariyar, Hon’ble Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.

Led by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) under CGIAR’s Scaling for Impact program, the Scaling Hub brings together government agencies, businesses, research institutions, universities, financing actors, development partners, CSOs and private sector actors from South Asia to close the gap between innovation and impact at scale.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and the World Bank, more than 500 million people in South Asia depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Scaling proven innovations is therefore essential to strengthening regional food and water security.

The Hub will ensure farmers, governments and institutions across South Asia to reliably access the innovations, knowledge and financing needed to modernise irrigation, strengthen climate resilience, boost agricultural productivity and empower women, youth and smallholder farmers.

Despite its centrality to agriculture, irrigation in Nepal remains unreliable for many farmers. Climate change is intensifying droughts, while floods and water variability are all raising urgency for collaborative solutions.

At the launch, Government  partners - Department of Water Resources and Irrigation (DWRI) and Alternative Energy Promotion Center (AEPC)- pledged to advance irrigation modernization, groundwater management, digital advisory tools, clean energy,  climate-resilient technologies and new financing models to strengthen water, energy and food security for all.

Government officials also signalled strong intent to work through the Scaling Hub to expand digital tracking systems, clean energy technologies and improve service provision.

“As Nepal advances irrigation modernization, groundwater management and climate-resilient water infrastructure, evidence-based scaling of innovations is critical to achieving these national goals,” noted Mr. Basudev Timilsina, Deputy Director General of Nepal’s DWRI, while universities – Universal Engineering and Science College and East West University pledged to bridge research with field realities and develop the next generation of agriculture and water leaders.

Private-sector partner- Nepal Investment Mega Bank (NIMB), the first GCF accredited bank in Nepal pledged to invest in business models that help farmers adopt technology sustainably. Ms. Khusbu Thapa, Head of Green Unit affirmed the bank’s commitment to integrating scientific evidence through the co-leaning in the Hub into its climate investment planning and to exploring co-financing and blended-finance opportunities to turn present challenges into opportunities.

Dr. Qianggong Zhang, the Head of Climate and Environment Risks, at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), a knowledge partner of IWMI,  stressed on the need for cooperation and said, “No single institution alone can address accelerating climate and environmental risks in the region. Concerted efforts, through the Scaling Hub South Asia ensure that innovations, pilots and investments do not remain fragmented but evolve into meaningful and lasting solutions that can transform livelihoods, landscapes and economies.”

The Scaling Hub provides a structured space to align incentives across sectors, to ensure measurable outcomes and to maintain a strong focus on long-term adoption. It will also be supported by CGIAR centres, including International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).

The Hub will begin co-designing joint activities with partners in early 2026 and will function alongside scaling hubs in South Africa and Latin America. Together, these hubs will form an ecosystem to interlink science, innovation, policy and investment to deliver sustainable impacts.

NUS Medicine researchers identify key protein that could reverse ageing

BILLIONAIRES WET DREAM

National University of Singapore, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine

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image: 

Assistant Professor Ong Sek Tong Derrick (left) and Dr Liang Yajing (right), both from the Department of Physiology and the Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme at NUS Medicine, examining protein expression of candidate DMTF1 target genes in the laboratory.

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Credit: Credit to Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine)

Researchers at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), have found that a key protein can help to regenerate neural stem cells, which may improve ageing-associated decline in neuronal production of an ageing brain. Published in Science Advances, the study identified a transcription factor in the brain, cyclin D-binding myb-like transcription factor 1 (DMTF1), as a critical driver of neural stem cell function during the ageing process. Transcription factors are proteins that regulate genes to ensure that they are expressed correctly in the intended cells.

 

The study, led by Assistant Professor Ong Sek Tong Derrick and first author Dr Liang Yajing, both from the Department of Physiology and the Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme at NUS Medicine, sought to identify biological factors that influence the degeneration of neural stem cell function often associated with ageing, and guide the development of therapeutic approaches to mitigate the adverse effects of neurological ageing.

 

The research team assessed the role of DMTF1 in affecting neural stem cell function during brain ageing, using neural stem cells derived from human and laboratory models that simulate premature ageing. Genome binding and transcriptome analyses were employed to elucidate the mechanism of how DMTF1 promotes neural stem cell function. Specifically, the researchers analysed how DMTF1 interacted with telomere dysfunctional neural stem cells and potential regeneration approaches. Telomeres are the ends of chromosomes and gradually erode as cells divide. The gradual erosion of telomeres is an indicator of ageing.

 

The study found that DMTF1 levels are repressed in the “aged” neural stem cells, and that restoring DMTF1 expression is sufficient to restore the regeneration capabilities of such neural stem cells. The study results suggest that DMTF1 may serve as a potential therapeutic target to restore neural stem cell function during brain ageing.  The researchers also uncovered a novel mechanism that implicates DMTF1 in controlling the expression of helper genes (Arid2 and Ss18) that open up DNA and activate other growth-related genes. Without these helpers, neural stem cells lose their ability to renew. 

 

“Impaired neural stem cell regeneration has long been associated with neurological ageing. Inadequate neural stem cell regeneration inhibits the formation of new cells needed to support learning and memory functions. While studies have found that defective neural stem cell regeneration can be partially restored, its underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood,” said Asst Prof Ong. “Understanding the mechanisms for neural stem cell regeneration provides a stronger foundation for studying age-related cognitive decline.”

 

The study findings also suggest approaches that enhance expression or activity of DMTF1 may have therapeutic potential in reversing or delaying ageing-associated decline of neural stem cell function.

 

While the preliminary findings stemmed mainly from in vitro experiments, the researchers hope to explore if elevating DMTF1 expression can regenerate neural stem cell numbers as well as improve learning and memory under the conditions of telomere shortening and natural ageing, without increasing the risk of brain tumours. The long-term objective is to discover small molecules that can enhance DMTF1 expression and activity to improve the function of aged neural stem cells.

 

“Our findings suggest that DMTF1 can contribute to neural stem cell multiplication in neurological ageing,” Dr Liang said. “While our study is in its infancy, the findings provide a framework for understanding how ageing-associated molecular changes affect neural stem cell behaviour, and may ultimately guide the development of successful therapeutics.”

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Journal

Science Advances

Article Title

DMTF1 up-regulation rescues proliferation defect of telomere dysfunctional neural stem cells via the SWI/SNF-E2F axis

Article Publication Date

21-Jan-2026

Africa Must Not Sleep in the AI Epoch

A new architecture of power is reshaping the world, and the Global South cannot afford to close its eyes.

by Sammy Attoh / January 20th, 2026

Africa and the Global South stand at the edge of a historic turning point. A new architecture of global power has emerged—one built not on armies or invasions, but on algorithms, data pipelines, and invisible systems of digital control. In this new epoch, the greatest danger is not war. It is sleep.

To sleep now is to surrender the future.

I. The World Has Changed While Many Slept

The recent operation in Venezuela revealed a truth that should shake every nation awake: a state can be subdued without a single soldier crossing its borders. Air‑defense systems were blinded, a capital city was plunged into darkness, and the home of a democratically chosen leader was struck—all through coordinated, AI‑assisted disruption.

This was not conventional warfare. It was cognitive domination—the erasure of a nation’s ability to see, decide, and defend.

The message is clear: Any country that does not control its digital infrastructure is already vulnerable.

II. Africa Must Not Sleep Through the AI Century

Africa is young, mineral‑rich, culturally deep, and indispensable to the world’s technological future. Yet we remain structurally exposed. We hold the cobalt, lithium, and rare earths that power global AI systems, but we do not control the systems themselves.

If AI can blind a nation’s defenses in minutes, what shields exist for Lagos, Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Johannesburg, or Accra? What prevents the blackout of a capital on election night? What stops the remote paralysis of a military command? What protects public opinion from manipulation by foreign algorithms?

To sleep in this moment is to risk becoming digitally colonized before we even understand the terms of our surrender.

III. The New Colonialism Will Not Announce Itself

The next colonial project will not arrive with gunboats. It will arrive through software updates.

Dependence—not invasion—is the new frontier of domination.

If Africa relies on foreign systems for communication, banking, elections, security, and education, then Africa is not sovereign. We become administratively governed by external powers—our data extracted, our decisions influenced, our futures outsourced.

To sleep is to accept this quietly.

IV. The Global South Is Awakening

Across continents, a new voice is rising—a voice shaped by ancestral memory, lived struggle, and the long arc of resistance. The Global South is no longer whispering. It is speaking with clarity and moral force.

In an earlier essay, “The South Will Not Bow — A Dissident Voice for a World at the Brink,” I argued that sovereignty is not merely a technical matter of statecraft. It is a moral covenant. And dissent is not disruption. It is the lifeblood of democracy.

Africa will never be a slave again—not after centuries of rupture, theft, and resistance.

Ancestral memory is not nostalgia. It is strategy. It is the archive of survival.

But memory alone is not enough. We must stay awake.

V. What Africa Must Do Before It Is Too Late

1. Establish a Doctrine of AI Sovereignty

Treat data as a strategic resource. Build indigenous AI research centers. Train African engineers, analysts, and cyber‑defenders.

2. Form a Pan‑African Cyber‑Defense Alliance

Protect digital infrastructure, satellites, power grids, and information ecosystems with continental coordination.

3. Cultivate a Moral Vanguard

We need voices that name the danger, awaken public consciousness, challenge complacent leadership, and defend the dignity of the Global South.

VI. A Final Cry to the Continent

Africa must not sleep. Not now. Not when the architecture of global power is being rewritten. Not when our minerals fuel the world’s machines. Not when our youth hold the potential to shape the century.

Our future will not be protected by silence. Our sovereignty will not be preserved by wishful thinking. Our dignity will not survive without courage.

The South must not sleep. The South must not bow. The South must not surrender its agency or its imagination.

This is both a warning and a summons: Africa and the Global South must rise awake into the AI epoch—with clarity, unity, and uncompromising resolve.

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Sammy Attoh is a Human Rights Coordinator, poet, and public writer. A member of The Riverside Church in New York City and The New York State Chaplains Group, he advocates for spiritual renewal and systemic justice. Originally from Ghana, his work draws on ancestral wisdom to explore the sacred ties between people, planet, and posterity, grounding his public voice in a deep commitment to human dignity and global solidarity. Read other articles by Sammy.

 

LeapSpace goes live: the Research-Grade AI-Assisted Workspace built on trusted science

Elsevier

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January 21, 2026 – LeapSpace™, Elsevier’s research-grade, AI-assisted workspace, is now live and available to customers. Built on the world’s most comprehensive collection of scientific content, LeapSpace helps academic and corporate researchers uncover deeper insights, accelerate innovation, and collaborate seamlessly in one secure environment. It combines multi-model responsible AI with transparency and clear trust markers, industrial-grade data privacy and security, so that every insight is explainable, traceable, and grounded in the highest-quality global science.

 

Researchers are increasingly using AI but only 22% trust existing tools[1], with 86% saying AI can cause critical errors[2]. General-purpose AI tools are often opaque and do not include peer-reviewed content, making it difficult for researchers to assess how answers are generated or whether they can be relied upon.

 

“LeapSpace stands apart from general AI tools as it is built on peer-reviewed scientific content and is designed to support research, not generic queries. For teams under pressure to deliver well-supported evidence, LeapSpace advances rigor and transparency by providing traceable citations in its responses,” said Victoria Ball, Associate Director, Global Library Services, at leading biopharmaceutical company Incyte. “R&D teams need quick access to verifiable scientific evidence within tight timelines and strict compliance requirements. In my early experience with LeapSpace, I’m impressed by how it helps shorten the time spent on cross-checking references for regulatory readiness and broader research needs. With clickable sources and clearly structured tables, it saves users time when sharing reports and streamlines workflows.”

 

LeapSpace was developed and tested with the global research community and is already being used by thousands of researchers from the world’s top universities and leading R&D-driven corporations.

 

Most comprehensive collection of trusted scientific content

Elsevier is bringing together selected content from leading publishers and scholarly societies to help researchers benefit from the broadest collection of peer-reviewed science. This publisher-neutral approach allows LeapSpace to draw from a growing, unmatched body of trusted content and data:

 

• New licensing agreements have been signed with Emerald Publishing, IOP Publishing, NEJM Group, and Sage, with more publishers set to join in the coming months. The solution displays fully referenced article extracts in its responses, linking to the article on the publisher’s platform.

• 18+ million peer-reviewed articles and books from Elsevier, and licensed subscription and open access articles from other leading publishers and societies.
• The world’s largest collection of research abstracts from Scopus (100+ million records, 7,000+ publishers).

 

LeapSpace is built on Elsevier’s deep expertise in combining quality scientific information and data sets with innovative technologies to deliver critical insights that help researchers advance outcomes. By combining AI with structured, enriched, verified and linked data, LeapSpace delivers high-quality results that are accurate and grounded in trusted sources.

 

Transparency by design to support critical thinking

LeapSpace places researchers in control, delivering full context and transparency for every result while displaying, in real time, the steps used to generate each answer - enabling continuous human validation. All insights are referenced and can be traced back to their original sources, providing provenance. Innovative ‘Trust Cards’ explain why sources were cited and highlight contradictions, helping researchers calibrate the strength of the evidence with confidence.

 

Researchers report that LeapSpace supports critical thinking, saves significant time, improves research design, strengthens collaboration, uncovers new insights, and deepens analysis.

 

“LeapSpace was created with researchers in mind, which means I have more trust in it. It helps refine where I want to go in my research, validates certain directions to explore, and makes it easier to learn outside of my domain,” said Paul Preuschoff, Human Computer Interaction (HCI) Researcher at leading research university RWTH Aachen University. “LeapSpace has also propelled me to a point in my reading I wouldn’t reach otherwise. I run Deep Research Reports in the background and then save them for my train journey.”

 

Judy Verses, President Academic and Government at Elsevier, said: “Researchers rightly demand AI they can trust. LeapSpace puts researchers in the driver’s seat, drawing on the world’s broadest and highest-quality peer-reviewed research and providing full visibility into the evidence behind every insight. Our goal is to support critical thinking, helping impact makers succeed.”

 

Advanced AI, enterprise-grade privacy and security

LeapSpace uses a multi-model AI approach, selecting models based on the task to ensure optimal outcomes and flexibility as AI technologies evolve. It is built on enterprise-grade data protection and security. Use of third-party Large Language Models (LLMs) is private; no information is stored or used to train public models, and all data is stored in a protected environment. Elsevier ensures responsible AI use and data privacy in its AI solutions, in line with its Privacy Principles.  

 

LeapSpace is available now for institutions to purchase and will be available for individual academics and students to purchase in February 2026. For more information, please www.elsevier.com/products/leapspace/introducing-research-grade-ai.

 

 

ENDS

 

 

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a global leader in advanced information and decision support. For over a century, we have been helping advance science and healthcare to advance human progress. We support academic and corporate research communities, doctors, nurses, future healthcare professionals and educators across 170 countries in their vital work. We do this by delivering mission-critical insights and innovative solutions that combine trusted, evidence-based scientific and medical content with cutting-edge AI technologies to help impact makers achieve better outcomes. We champion inclusion and sustainability by embedding these values into our products and culture, working with the communities that we serve. The Elsevier Foundation supports research and health partnerships around the world.

 

Elsevier is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. For more information, visit www.elsevier.com and follow us on social media @elsevierconnect.  

 

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[1] Confidence in Research: Researcher of the Future Report 2025, Elsevier.

[2] Insights 2024: Attitudes Towards AI, Elsevier.