The Genotyping Services Laboratory was established at IRRI in 2013 to provide rapid and cost-effective marker services for rice research and breeding programs (http://gsl.irri.org). A genotyping workflow, from barcoded-sample tracking to genotyping using various platforms, was implemented to assist breeders and geneticists to accelerate their development and deployment of improved varieties in line with IRRI's mission. Genotyping platforms such as an Illumina Infinium rice 6k chip, a Fluidigm EP1™ System, and a Fragment Analyzer™, cater to diverse plant breeding and molecular genetics needs. The fast-paced evolution of molecular marker and next-generation sequencing technologies has driven the service laboratory to expand the applications of these technologies and improve the limitations of the existing genotyping platforms. This poster aims to present the GSL team's experience in setting up a genotyping service facility in a non-profit institute, present feedback from the breeders and clients, relate lessons learned, and provide some insights into what things are needed in the future to address the breeders' and clients' needs and keep the GSL valuable.
