Articles
THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE EUHPRESCO ERA-NET TO THE TOPIC
ERANETS aim to increase cooperation and coordination between national or regional research funding bodies (e.g., ministries) through the networking of national/regional programmes, the mutual opening of national/regional programmes and the establishment of long-term networks of research managers/funders.
Reasons for ERANETS are to achieve critical mass of expertise, to provide common answers to common problems, to address specific geographical issues or global issues.
It was found that the basic challenges for Plant Health relate to an increasing threat from exotic plant pests and pathogens (at present 300 species for the EU) due to increased globalisation of trade, to increased EU enlargement and increased risks due to climate change and the limited and decreasing resources, including funds for research.
EUPHRESCO is an ERA-net for research policy development and implementation in the area of statutory and emerging plant pests, pathogens and invasive species (exclusive of GMOs) which aims to increase cooperation and coordination of national phytosanitary research programmes at the EU level through networking of research activities and mutual opening of national programmes.
The aims are the development of a phytosanitary research policy at the EU-wide level, the optimisation of the research provision for EU quarantine plant health policy development and implementation and the increase of capacity of European phytosanitary science and research, in order to maintain European competitiveness in the global market.
The benefits for the horticultural stakeholders are preventing the introduction and establishment of quarantine pests and managing introduced or established pests to facilitate export and competitiveness.
EUPHRESCO consists of one overall management and four technical work-packages.
The first is dealing with analyses and mapping of the existing phytosanitary research programmes and related resources and infrastructures through questionnaires which were distributed to partner countries and in a modified version to non-EUPHRESCO partner countries in Europe/EPPO. Two work-packages are involved in the development, pilot testing and refinement of the mechanisms, instruments and tools needed to enable joint trans-national funding activities.
For the three funding mechanisms the real fund, the virtual fund and non-competitive mechanism pilot research project calls are launched.
From the experiences with the pilot projects a tool book for mechanisms, instruments and tools will be developed.
Finally one work-package is responsible for the development of trans-national phytosanitary research agendas and the establishment of a sustainable long-term network for the implementation of joint activities.