Headquartered in India has of course meant intimate links between ICRISAT and the Indian NARS: the first Indian national scientists were appointed just a year after ICRISAT began. The key partnerships in Asia were through the Asian Grain Legumes Network (1986), and the Cooperative Cereals Research Network (1986), which later evolved into the Cereals and Legumes Asia Network (CLAN), established in 1992, currently coordinated from ICRISAT-Patancheru.

Consisting of over 15 member countries, regional and international institutions primarily in Asia and elsewhere, and ICRISAT scientists, CLAN is mandated to support, coordinate, and enhance technology exchange involving CLAN priority crops and their resource management among Asian scientists. The ultimate goal is to improve the well-being of the Asian farmers by improving the production and productivity of crops in a sustainable manner.