The IWGSC has led the effort to develop a high quality, reference sequence of the large, complex (hexaploid), bread wheat genome: IWGSC RefSeq v1.0 and most recently IWGSC RefSeq v2.1 and annotation v2.1. This year's workshop will include presentations highlighting some of the significant advances in wheat genomics. As usual, the workshop also includes the IWGSC Early Career Award and travel stipend recipient with this year’s talk which is given to a young scientist nominated by anyone in the wheat community and selected by the IWGSC leadership in recognition of outstanding achievement.

The workshop will examine advances in structural and functional genomics, wheat genomic resources, and manual and functional annotation of the IWGSC reference genome sequence (IWGSC RefSeq v2.1). The IWGSC phase II strategy, post the release of the wheat reference genome,includes developing a pipeline for community generated manual and functional annotation, as well as periodic annotation releases by the IWGSC.

Ellie Taagen was awarded the IWGSC and Catherine Feuillet Early Career Award and received her award at the Plant & Animal Genome Conference XXIX (PAG) in San Diego, California (USA) in January 2022. Ellie also received a travel stipend to allowed her to travel to the PAG conference to present a talk during the IWGSC main workshop on Saturday 8 January 2022.

Rudi Appels is well known in the IWGSC as he has been at the heart and soul of the consortium since its inception in 2005. He was instrumental in the creation of the consortium, having initiated, along with Bikram Gill, discussions with interested colleagues on sequencing the wheat genome, at the ITMI meeting in Winnipeg in 2002, and organized, in 2003 in Washington, the first workshop designed to push forward the sequencing of the bread wheat genome.

The International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) is pleased to announce that the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), has joined the organization as a sponsoring partner.

Created in 2007, the prestigious Early Career Award is awarded to talented early career scientists working on wheat genomics. The goal of the award is to engage early career scientists in wheat research broadly and in the IWGSC specifically.

The latest episode of the BASF podcast " The Science Behind Your Salad " is on wheat and features an interview with Kellye Eversole, along with Alison Bentley (CIMMYT) and John Jacobs (BASF).

IWGSC newsletter No1/2021

The IWGSC is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Burt, Pierre Devaux, John Jacobs, Yann Manès and Pierre Sourdille as new Board members of the organization.

Volume 67 of the Annual Wheat Newsletter was published on 1 September 2021 and includes a report on the IWGSC activities.