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.
