Vision and Mission

About the ICCR

Established in 1970, the Institute for Cereal Crops Research (ICCR) at Tel Aviv University is dedicated to preserving the rich diversity of wild grass relatives of cereal crop plants native to Israel and the surrounding region. Because many valuable genes were lost during the historical domestication of crops, these wild populations represent an irreplaceable pool of beneficial traits, such as natural resilience against pathogens and harsh environmental stresses. These traits are increasingly critical for developing climate-resilient and disease-resistant crop varieties.

The ICCR's founding mission of preserving the genetic diversity of local wheat and barley wild relatives has been successfully realized through the establishment of the Harold and Adele Lieberman Germplasm Bank. Housing thousands of live specimens gathered across Israel, the bank forms a world-leading collection of wild cereal species.

Looking Ahead: The 21st Century Mission

As we look toward the future, the ICCR's primary mission is to harness this wild germplasm to breed improved, robust wheat varieties. Our core objective is to establish an efficient pipeline for identifying and transferring beneficial traits from wild species directly into cultivated wheat. Current research centers on cataloging and mapping these traits, with a primary focus on disease and stress resistance, to secure the future of global food production.

Acknowledgments

The ICCR was established by the late Professor Isaac Wahl, with the aid of the Lieberman family from St. Paul, Minnesota. Over the years, the ICCR has been supported by the Lieberman-Okinow Endowment, with additional financial contributions from the Lieberman family.

We would also like to express our gratitude to the Galperin family for their generous donation and valuable support of the ICCR and its research activities.