Context: In the area of agriculture, food, fisheries, forestry and the wider bioeconomy, the Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR) brings together the European Commission and European countries with the aim of sharing information on research priorities and coordinating investments at the national and EU level. The vision of the RefreSCAR project is for a strengthened SCAR within the European Research Area (ERA). SCAR has made a significant contribution to establishing an ERA built on cooperation, coordination and information exchange and has provided the foundational basis for many of the ERA-NETs, and more recently the Horizon Europe Partnerships.
The SCAR Working Groups (WGs) and Task Forces (TFs) are the backbone of SCAR. They provide strategic policy advice, highlight priority research and innovation (R&I) topics and develop strategic R&I agendas. The overall aim of the RefreSCAR project is to facilitate improved coordination of national and European research programmes in the ERA through strengthened SCAR WGs and TFs.
The project’s specific objectives are to:
• Provide scientific & administrative support to the work of the SCAR WG/TFs, enhancing their capacity to formulate research policy advice and collaborate on matters of common interest.
• Enhance inclusiveness within SCAR WG/TFs and support active engagement of members.
• Connect actors across R&I, policy & practice with the aim of enabling SCAR to become a key bridging initiative across these domains.
• Help SCAR WG/TFs to reach a broader audience of stakeholders and strengthen linkages with key EU and international initiatives.
• Support the development of a strong SCAR Foresight process, including the effective dissemination of its outcomes.
