Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EUPHRESCO III (STRENGHTENING PHYTOSANITARY RESEARCH PROGRAMMING AND COLLABORATION: FROM EUROPEAN TO GLOBAL PHYTOSANITARY RESEARCH COORDINATION)
Période du rapport: 2024-01-01 au 2025-06-30
The EUPHRESCO III project was funded via the Horizon Europe call on Reforming and enhancing the European R&I system, which aims to improve the system through structural changes, access to excellence and deepening the European Research Area .
In the plant health field, the Euphresco network has ensured the coordination of statutory plant health research since 2006, through the ERA-Net projects Euphresco I (2006–2010), Euphresco II (2011–2014) and the self-sustained network Euphresco (Euphresco net) (2014–ongoing).
The network has evolved over the years, both in terms of the mandate of its members (research funders, policymakers, research organizations) and the geographic coverage (beyond Europe). Such an evolution is acknowledgement that efficient research coordination requires the involvement of all players of the research value chain and that research to inform plant health law is more impactful when conducted internationally rather than locally (i.e. nationally). In response to these changes, there was a need for Euphresco net to reshape its structure and operations and to provide a solution to the increased interest of the plant health community to strengthen research collaboration, to develop effective measures against transboundary pests and to establish research collaborative structures.
The EUPHRESCO III project has been shaped to address the abovementioned needs.
The EUPHRESCO III project aims to enhance national and regional phytosanitary research coordination and to set the foundations for global phytosanitary research coordination.
Objective 1 Develop a global strategic agenda on medium-term (5–10 years) phytosanitary research priorities. The agenda will guide phytosanitary research programming activities of the project partners and support them to address national, regional and global challenges through synergies between regions/continents of the world.
Objective 2 Organize joint calls on common research priorities to support and enhance international collaboration through the commissioning and implementation of research projects which meet the needs of the research funders and policy makers and have significant positive outcomes for plant health.
Objective 3 Develop and test models for the governance, the structure and the operations of a global network for phytosanitary research coordination. A roadmap will be established to guide the development of a global network for phytosanitary research coordination.
Objective 4 Engage with stakeholders such as policy makers, research funders, academia, industry (agri-food, biotech, diagnostic, seed industry), farmers and foresters and foster knowledge exchange, involvement in the project activities, co-development, innovation, dissemination and adoption of outputs.
In the plant health field, the Euphresco network has ensured the coordination of statutory plant health research since 2006, through the ERA-Net projects Euphresco I (2006–2010), Euphresco II (2011–2014) and the self-sustained network Euphresco (Euphresco net) (2014–ongoing).
The network has evolved over the years, both in terms of the mandate of its members (research funders, policymakers, research organizations) and the geographic coverage (beyond Europe). Such an evolution is acknowledgement that efficient research coordination requires the involvement of all players of the research value chain and that research to inform plant health law is more impactful when conducted internationally rather than locally (i.e. nationally). In response to these changes, there was a need for Euphresco net to reshape its structure and operations and to provide a solution to the increased interest of the plant health community to strengthen research collaboration, to develop effective measures against transboundary pests and to establish research collaborative structures.
The EUPHRESCO III project has been shaped to address the abovementioned needs.
The EUPHRESCO III project aims to enhance national and regional phytosanitary research coordination and to set the foundations for global phytosanitary research coordination.
Objective 1 Develop a global strategic agenda on medium-term (5–10 years) phytosanitary research priorities. The agenda will guide phytosanitary research programming activities of the project partners and support them to address national, regional and global challenges through synergies between regions/continents of the world.
Objective 2 Organize joint calls on common research priorities to support and enhance international collaboration through the commissioning and implementation of research projects which meet the needs of the research funders and policy makers and have significant positive outcomes for plant health.
Objective 3 Develop and test models for the governance, the structure and the operations of a global network for phytosanitary research coordination. A roadmap will be established to guide the development of a global network for phytosanitary research coordination.
Objective 4 Engage with stakeholders such as policy makers, research funders, academia, industry (agri-food, biotech, diagnostic, seed industry), farmers and foresters and foster knowledge exchange, involvement in the project activities, co-development, innovation, dissemination and adoption of outputs.
Within WP2, the main research stakeholders within the countries, regions and disciplines covered by the project partners were identified. The stakeholders were surveyed to collect information on their practical needs and their vision on plant health needs and research priorities. The information was used to identify the research priorities at regional and discipline level which converged into a number of research topics proposed for collaboration during the 2025 call. Further work planned during the second project period will identify the overarching priorities of the Strategic Research Agenda.
Two transnational calls (2024 and 2025) were organized during the first project period. The transnational calls were jointly organized by Euphresco net members and EUPHRESCO III partners. The EUPHRESCO III Consortium followed the procedure developed and tested over many years in Euphresco. Nine research projects were commissioned in 2024. The 2025 call is still ongoing and projects will be commissioned by December 2025. The 2025 prioritization approach has resulted in more diverse research fields covered by the research topics identified, compared to previous years.
Prior to EUPHRESCO III, three models for global research coordination had been identified: i) a global network for phytosanitary research coordination and funding where the structure of the Euphresco net coordination will remain the same and the increase of Euphresco members/countries will be unlimited; ii) regional networks on the model of the Euphresco will be developed; and iii) a global network with a regional prioritization system. The EUPHRESCO III project has been built to test and validate the model of a global network with a regional prioritization system. A draft governance structure for such a global network has been developed and will be refined by December 2025. The Modus Operandi which will detail how the governance operates and the responsibilities of the network bodies will be developed during the second project period.
More than two thousand plant health stakeholders such as policy makers, research funders, academia, industry, farmers and foresters were identified in the countries, regions and disciplines covered by project partners. Also, organizations that have been involved in the project as advisors of the project have to be considered. Stakeholders and advisors have been an integral part of the EUPHRESCO III processes and governance, and have contributed by: i) providing their practical needs and views on plant health research priorities which have been used to identify the topics for the 2025 call for transnational collaboration and will be used to identify the topics for the 2026 call and for the Strategic Research Agenda; ii) providing information on the research funding mechanisms and programs in places within the national funding organizations, which will be used to develop international procedures that allow the participation of national research funders; and iii) sharing information on the governance, operations and business models of international organizations that can be used as models for the global network and providing their views on how the global network should be structured.
Two transnational calls (2024 and 2025) were organized during the first project period. The transnational calls were jointly organized by Euphresco net members and EUPHRESCO III partners. The EUPHRESCO III Consortium followed the procedure developed and tested over many years in Euphresco. Nine research projects were commissioned in 2024. The 2025 call is still ongoing and projects will be commissioned by December 2025. The 2025 prioritization approach has resulted in more diverse research fields covered by the research topics identified, compared to previous years.
Prior to EUPHRESCO III, three models for global research coordination had been identified: i) a global network for phytosanitary research coordination and funding where the structure of the Euphresco net coordination will remain the same and the increase of Euphresco members/countries will be unlimited; ii) regional networks on the model of the Euphresco will be developed; and iii) a global network with a regional prioritization system. The EUPHRESCO III project has been built to test and validate the model of a global network with a regional prioritization system. A draft governance structure for such a global network has been developed and will be refined by December 2025. The Modus Operandi which will detail how the governance operates and the responsibilities of the network bodies will be developed during the second project period.
More than two thousand plant health stakeholders such as policy makers, research funders, academia, industry, farmers and foresters were identified in the countries, regions and disciplines covered by project partners. Also, organizations that have been involved in the project as advisors of the project have to be considered. Stakeholders and advisors have been an integral part of the EUPHRESCO III processes and governance, and have contributed by: i) providing their practical needs and views on plant health research priorities which have been used to identify the topics for the 2025 call for transnational collaboration and will be used to identify the topics for the 2026 call and for the Strategic Research Agenda; ii) providing information on the research funding mechanisms and programs in places within the national funding organizations, which will be used to develop international procedures that allow the participation of national research funders; and iii) sharing information on the governance, operations and business models of international organizations that can be used as models for the global network and providing their views on how the global network should be structured.
The methodology developed and tested in EUPHRESCO III (WP2 and WP3) allows the identification of research priorities without bias. The information collected on the practical needs of stakeholders and research priorities identified is useful for: Research funders in identifying priorities to be funded ; Policy makers, to be informed about the needs and research priorities of the various national communities; Overall, for countries in research planning, developing real networks of collaboration and for other purposes. Once established, the consultation method will be easy to use routinely and will allow the number and type of stakeholders surveyed to be expanded.