Phytosanitary research coordination:
EUPHRESCO ERA-Net website launched (October 2006)
In Madeira in September 2004, EPPO declared a state of emergency for Plant Health. Following this declaration, the Council Working Party of Chief Officers of Plant Health Services (COPHS) of the European Union (EU) established three working groups to address the recognised erosion of the scientific base for plant health. One of the working groups developed an EU Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) proposal for a Phytosanitary (Plant Health) ERA-Net to coordinate national and regional phytosanitary research programmes. The proposal entitled ‘European Phytosanitary (Plant Health) Research Coordination’ (Acronym: EUPHRESCO) was successful and the project started on 1st May 2006.
EUPHRESCO will draw together national research programmes to better serve the needs of EU Plant Health science and policy. It includes 24 partners (research programme funders or programme managers) from 17 European countries, plus 6 observer partners from EU member states who currently do have significant and identifiable phytosanitary research programmes. An Expert Advisory Group has been established and EPPO (European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation) is one of the members of this group along with the European Commission’s Directorate General for Health and Consumer Protection (DG SANCO) and the European Food Safety Authority’s Plant Heath Panel (EFSA PHP). This Expert Advisory Group will observe EUPHRESCO’s progress and make suggestions to the EUPHRESCO Governing Board.
EUPHRESCO will achieve its objectives through an ambitious step-wise approach, as follows:
- Map information on national phytosanitary research programmes.
- Establish instruments for trans-national phytosanitary research activities and test these through pilot research projects involving some joint calls.
- Develop common research agendas based on shared priorities.
- Establish a long-term, sustainable network that will strategically facilitate joint trans-national activities to underpin EU Plant Health policy and science capacity.
The first phase has begun and information is being gathered on the phytosanitary research programmes in the EUPHRESCO partner countries.
EUPHRESCO also aims to gather information on phytosanitary research programmes in other (non-partner) European/EPPO countries, if these national or regional programmes can be identified and these programmes have a desire to explore cooperative, trans-national activities.
More information and details, including on how to register for 6-monthly EUPHRESCO electronic newsletters, and on the Project timetable (including that for joint calls for pilot research projects), can be found on the EUPHRESCO Phytosanitary ERA-Net website: http://www.euphresco.org