Strengthening phytosanitary research programming and collaboration:
from European to global phytosanitary research coordination
We are an international network of organizations that develop, own and manage phytosanitary research programmes, fund and undertake research activities and use research provisions for policy development and implementation.
The network has received funding from the Horizon Europe 'Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area' work programme to improve the coordination of national and regional R&I funding programmes, with a particular focus on statutory plant health (regulated and emerging pests).
Challenge
The likelihood of pest introductions has grown as a result of increased global trade and transport, and climate change. Nonetheless, public resources and budgets to invest in research, including national phytosanitary research budgets, have in many cases declined. Combining resources to investigate challenges that countries share and to develop solutions of mutual benefit can address some of the difficulties faced by researchers and their funders alike. The Euphresco network was developed to play the role of a platform for international coordination of phytosanitary research and funding, aimed at reducing the fragmentation and minimizing duplication of national and regional research activities. As Euphresco has largely been seen as a European coordination structure with a few non-European members included, the need for a global research coordination network has been identified by the phytosanitary authorities in many countries.
Goal
By building on the foundations developed by the Euphresco Network, the EUPHRESCO III project aims to enhance national and regional phytosanitary research coordination and to set the foundations for global phytosanitary research coordination through fit-for-purpose activities. The establishment of global plant health research coordination takes time and resources, but these resource requirements can be reduced by building on the regional experience gained and integrating existing networks into a global structure. The EUPHRESCO III network builds upon the activities of organizations with a long history of coordinating plant health in their region: ACIAR, APAARI, CABI, CFIA, CIHEAM-Bari, EUPHRESCO, INIA-CSIC, KHA, NIBIO, NVWA, PBRI, PFR, USDA .
Activities
The EUPHRESCO III partners will work together to enhance the coordination of national, regional and global phytosanitary research programmes in order to better align the research funding and policy making activities in their countries and regions. The main activities undertaken over the period 2024-2026 are:
- Identification of common research and innovation priorities agreed among the participating national and regional R&I programmes
- Implementation of multiannual joint calls, resulting in the commissioning of transnational collaborative R&I projects
- Supporting plant health policy development, technology development, market introduction and societal uptake of results
