Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Programming Research and Innovation for Improved Impact

30-31 October 2018. Brussels. The SCAR Strategic Working Groups ARCH, AKIS and Food Systems meeting.
  • SCAR: Standing Ccommitte on Agricultural Research
  • ARCH: European Agricultural Research towards greater impact on global CHallenges.
  • AKIS: Agricultural Information and Knowledge Systems
Extracts of the agenda:

Update on the EU-Africa Partnership 
  • Working Group on FNSSA and launch of LEAP-Agri projects by Hans-Jörg Lutzeyer 8–10 October 2018, Bari, Italy. LEAP-Agri Project’s Kick-Off Meeting of ERA-Net LEAP-Agri Funded Projects.
    The ERA-NET Cofund LEAP-Agri (2016-2021) is a partnership between partners from 19 European and African countries and the European Commission aimed at research and innovation on food and nutrition security as well as sustainable agriculture, including aquaculture. 27 collaborative European African projects have been selected for funding by the 24 LEAP-Agri funding agencies, based on an international Independent Review panel evaluation and ranking.


  • Launch of LEAP4FNSSA, by Agnieszka ROMANOWICZ (see picture) Support to the implementation of the Long-term EU-AU Research and Innovation Partnership for Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (Leap4FNSSA)
    Project start date: 01/11/2018
    Project end date: 31/10/2022Project partners: 34 partners

    The general objective of Leap4FNSSA is to establish a sustainable structure, or ‘Platform’, for the efficient and coherent implementation of the AU-EU Research and Innovation Partnership as described in the FNSSA Roadmap. Under the aegis of the HLPD and its Bureau, and by building upon related projects such as RINEA, CAAST-Net Plus, ProIntensAfrica and LEAP-Agri, Leap4FNSSA aims to achieve this overall objective through three specific objectives: - Increase the synergies and coherence between actors, research and innovation projects, initiatives and programmes, through the development of institutional alliances and clusters of projects;
    - Develop a learning environment and a large knowledge base, including monitoring and evaluation activities, creating communication and links between different initiatives to improve STI cooperation;
    - Establish a long term and sustainable governance and funding mechanism for the Platform.

    To reach these objectives, Leap4FNSSA will build on a large consortium of experienced partners and implement a methodology based on 3 principles: long-term impact, relevance of the outputs to the HLPD, and innovative actions. Long-term impact of the CSA relates to its main objective to enable and catalyse the transformation of the existing AU EU FNSSA Partnership into a bicontinental Platform for collaboration, organised along a Knowledge and Management Communication Framework.

    Outputs relevant to the HLPD will be achieved by connecting and framing activities of all Work Packages on top of the supporting activities specifically requested in the SFS-33-2018. Innovative actions are foreseen to run the Platform efficiently throughout e.g. the development of a new approach to information mapping, text and data mining, and testing of multistakeholder alliances at a regional level and the mobilisation of actors to manage research and innovation programming in a 4-steps management cycle.
  • DG AGRI’s Africa Task Force by Agnieszka ROMANOWICZ 
  • This Task Force is to provide expertise, advice and possible recommendations in relation to enhancing the role of the EU agrifood and agroindustrial sector in the job-creating economic, sustainable development of the African continent. It will also identify means to accelerate economic impact through fostering responsible EU private investment in support of African agriculture, agri-business and agroindustries in a sustainable way, taking into account existing cooperation frameworks (in particular the EIP, the SB4A, the Abidjan Action Plan, and other types of development assistance, trade and investment agreements and instruments, cooperation in multilateral fora). Members of this group were selected via a call for applications.
  • Update on DeSIRA, by Christophe Larose
    DESIRA is, a new European funding mechanism for a new vision of research for development. It is an initiative from the Commission, which spends 1 Billion Euros a year for Agriculture and food security. The aim is to accelerate development, with innovations that are science-based: development smart innovations through research in agriculture. In that context, DGDEVCO funding to research entities should be influential on the 1 billion Euros it spends overall on agricultural development. It aims for embedded research in national development agendas. The program kick started with 90 mEuros/yr over 3 years. Gates will bring 300m USD over the same 3 years. Climate change is an overarching objective. Resources from the Commission might be topped-up by resources by other interested member states. It is not another mega call for proposals. Development practitioners (agencies, commission, GIZ, BMZ...) are consulted on: what is the demand for research in countries? How can we put more science in the development portfolio?

    There is a need for nn ampler choice of technological options, promote partnerships with local research ands bring together European universities that operate in given countries. Bridge research programs with development practitioners. The first contracting will be early 2019.

    A next consultation is 
    planned for 05-09/11/2018. Addis Ababa. Seminar for Food and Nutrition Security Coordination of the EU Delegations in Eastern and Southern Africa (CODESA)
Standing Ccommitte on Agricultural Research impact assessment framework


Ex Ante Impact assessment
A small group of representatives from the SCAR Strategic Working Groups ARCH, AKIS and Food Systems prepared a Policy Brief regarding Ex Ante Impact assessment based on discussions and conclusions from a jointly held workshop in Rome on 6th April 2018.
  • The workshop consisted of Key Note Speakers showing how to ex ante programme research and innovation for improved impact, at the international, national and regional scales. This was followed by Panel Discussions with experts drawn from the EC, IFAD, FAO, OECD, CREA and open discussions with participants.
  • The aim of the workshop was to provide, to funders and researchers, concrete recommendations on how to strengthen programming of research and innovation to reach tangible impacts

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