The last one or two decades of this century can be described in many different ways, and the direction in which we aremoving has been discussed in many different fora. However, there can be little doubt that worldwide globalization issues have been in the forefront of every discussion. Globalization means moving away from well-known, traditional structures, organizational forms, and hierarchies and entering the unknown; it means change. And just as we have seen change in the global economy, so should we also expect change in the global agricultural research system. It will not be static, but will change systematically and permanently. Flexibility and mobility will be needed,.
