As we head towards the end of 2019, the CONNECTED Network is reflecting on some of the highlights of the year, and looking ahead to the next 12 months.

Here are a few 2019 highlights in numbers:

• 1,300 network members & counting
• 3 major training events, in Kenya, in Nigeria, and in the UK, involving
• 54 early career researchers from 15 countries, now sharing skills with 1,000 others
• 18 Training Voucher awards in total to members from 11 different countries
• 20 pump-prime funded research projects ongoing in 14 countries
• 1 workshop at ‘Ento 19
• 2 fully-funded places at a leading bioinformatics course in Uppsala, Sweden
• 2 members attended 2019 Grand Challenges Annual Meeting
• 5 brand new short films

Looking ahead, 2020 has been designated by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH 2020). It is an opportunity to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help

• end hunger
• reduce poverty
• protect the environment, and
• boost economic development.

With its official slogan of “Protecting Plants, Protecting Life”, IYPH 2020 promises to offer various opportunities to all those who share an interest in plant health.