In 2012 the Heat and Drought Wheat Improvement Consortium (HeDWIC) was conceived as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Wheat (CRP-Wheat) as a network to facilitate global coordination of wheat research to adapt to a future with more severe weather extremes, specifically heat and drought. With support from Mexico’s MasAgro-Trigo and Seeds of Discovery programs at CIMMYT (2011-2020) a physiological pre-breeding program was developed to deliver novel climate-resilient germplasm to public and private breeders globally via the International Wheat Improvement Network (IWIN). In 2014, to widen the scientific base of the breeding effort, approximately 100 scientists -representing 77 research institutes in 32 countries- were sponsored to convene in Frankfurt to identify translational research priorities for improving wheat’s resistance to heat and drought stress. Through the succeeding years, many researchers have become formal collaborators on HeDWIC-related projects (with numerous outputs, including literature and other resources), contributed to capacity building, participated in the global SATYN network, and interacted with HeDWIC through linked initiatives.