CEA-FIRST Strategy and Operational Plan

21 July 2025. e-consultation on the IRC Strategy and Operational Plan

The CEA-FIRST consortium in collaboration with AFAAS, organised this high-level e-consultation on the International Research Consortium (IRC) Strategy and Operational Plan. This consultative session brought together stakeholders from IRC-FNSSA, CEA-FIRST institutions, and key research and policy actors from the EU and AU Member States. It helped shape the final IRC Strategy and Operational Plan (SOP), facilitated focused discussions on the IRC’s strategic objectives, governance model, and delivery mechanisms, as well as explored how the IRC can drive the implementation of the 2027-2037 AU-EU FNSSA Roadmap.

CEA-FIRST, the Consortium Europe Africa on Research and Innovation for Food Systems Transformation began on 1 December 2023 and will run for 4 years.

Speakers:

• Welcome and opening - Dr. Lilian Lihasi Kidula, Executive Director, AFAAS 
• Introduction to FNSSA and IRC Dr. Irene Annor Frempong, CEA-FIRST Project Coordinator, FARA 
• Overview of challenges and opportunities for R&I systems  - Dr. Jim Woodhill, Lead Foresight4Food Initiative & Mr. Tim Fry, University of Reading  
• Overview of IRC draft strategy Dr. Jim Woodhill 

Panel discussion – how IRC can best support implementation of the FNSSA? 

• Hans-Joerg Lutzeyer – EC-DG RTD,  
• Guy Faure – EC-DG INTPA,  
• Patrick Okori – RUFORUM,  
• Oyewale Abioye – CGIAR-IITA,  
• Bernard Mallet – CIRAD,  
• Mahaman Bachir Saley – AUC-ESTI,  
• Jennie van der Mheen – WUR  

Main outcomes :

Validation of Strategic Objectives & Governance Framework

• Stakeholders endorsed a sharpened set of strategic objectives aligned with the 2027–2037 AU‑EU FNSSA Roadmap—emphasizing climate resilience, digitalization, and inclusive agri-innovation.
• Agreement was reached on a proposed governance model featuring a central Secretariat, a multi‑stakeholder IRC Council, and thematic Working Groups covering policy, funding, R&I practices, and knowledge scaling. 

Operational Mechanisms & Tools Finalization

• Participants refined delivery mechanisms including:
• Working Group operations and ToRs;
• MEL (Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning) indicators;
• Knowledge‑management protocols and ethical guidelines. afaas-africa.org+1irc-ceafirst.org+1
• A shared vision emerged to merge existing platforms (KEOPS, FNSSA database) into a unified IRC knowledge hub.

Alignment with AU‑EU FNSSA Roadmap & HLPD

• The session outlined how the IRC will catalyze implementation of the 2027–2037 FNSSA Roadmap, through coordinated Working Group contributions and Secretariat liaising with the High-Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD). 
• Emphasis was placed on linking IRC outputs to broader AU-EU policy frameworks and decision-making structures. 

Expanded Stakeholder Engagement & Membership Strategy

• Consensus emerged on actively expanding IRC membership to include diverse stakeholders (public, private, regional, research, farmer groups).
• A strategic outreach plan was endorsed, featuring stakeholder surveys, online engagement sessions, and clustering alignment workshops. 

Next Steps & Timelines 

• Incorporation of session feedback into a draft IRC SOP by late July;
• Launch of Working Groups and ethical/guideline frameworks by Month 24 of CEA‑FIRST;
• Presentation of the final IRC SOP at HLPD WG in November and full rollout in early 2026.