EUPHRESCO III ‘Strengthening phytosanitary research programming and collaboration: from European to global phytosanitary research coordination’
| Objective/Goal (Overall): | Building on the foundations established by the Euphresco Network, the EUPHRESCO III project aims to strengthen national and regional coordination of phytosanitary research while laying the groundwork for a global research coordination framework. This will be achieved through fit-for-purpose activities designed to enhance collaboration, streamline research efforts, and address emerging phytosanitary challenges on a global scale. |
| Project period: | 1st January 2024 – 31st December 2026 |
| Funding agency: | EUPHRESCO III (Operated through CABI Africa) |
| Implementing agencies: | APAARI for South Asia and South East Asia |
| Countries in Focus: | South Asia (the current members of APAARI) and Southeast Asia |
Project Summary
EUPHRESCO (The European Phytosanitary Research Coordination) is a research coordination network that was initially supported by the European Union’s FP6 and FP7 framework programmes (EUPHRESCO I and EUPHRESCO II ERA-NET projects) and continues its work as a self-sustainable network following the finalization of the framework programmes.
Due to global climate change, increasing trade, and rising transportation volumes, the phytosanitary problems faced by countries have increased, making it imperative for them to act together to address these challenges. For this reason, the EUPHRESCO network has evolved from being purely European into a global network of more than 70 members from over 50 countries worldwide.
The EUPHRESCO III partners will work together to enhance the coordination of national, regional, and global phytosanitary research programmes to better align research funding and policymaking activities in their respective countries and regions. The objectives of the EUPHRESCO III includes the following:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
APAARI’s Role in the Project
APAARI is developing pathways to strengthen agri-food research and innovation systems across several thematic areas. The project activities led by APAARI address two of these thematic areas: risk mitigation and policy advocacy through strategic communication, Knowledge Management and partnership and networking with APAARI Members.
APAARI, as a regional champion for the South and Southeast Asia, will conduct country-specific consultations and gather priority phytosanitary research topics across the region. It will also develop a regional plant health strategic agenda and contribute to the global phytosanitary research strategy under EUPHRESCO III. Additionally, APAARI will work towards building and sustaining a strong regional network to enhance long-term collaboration and capacity in plant health management.
APAARI employs multiple approaches to collect and identify research priorities. These include data collection through surveys, organizing conferences, and conducting international, national, and regional consultations. Additionally, APAARI reviews publications and reports from organizations such as APPPC and FAO, among others. The identified topics are then validated through engagement with member countries and regional assessments to ensure their relevance and impact.
We welcome any suggestions on additional approaches that could be adopted to further refine priority identification and strengthen the plant health network.
Project Activities
Conducting a Survey for Member countries to identify regional research priorities
Stakeholder Consultation on Plant Health Challenges in South & South East Asia
Members consultation
Dr. Ravi Khetarpal
ravi.khetarpal@apaari.org
Dr. K.S. Varaprasad
ks.varaprasad@apaari.org