The purpose of the project is to provide strategic analysis and support for enhanced research cooperation in agriculture and food to the Contracting Authority (here the European Commission – DG RTD and AGRI), with in-depth input on the variety of topics dealt with by the Working Groups of the Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR). The overall assistance to be provided is directly linked to the activities of the SCAR Working Groups (WG) covering managerial, administrative, technical and scientific services.

These services will be provided by a professional and experienced SCAR Support Team. People from the Team are assigned to the project by different organisations, organised within a Consortium. The group of organisations brought together for this project consists of universities, applied research institutions and a few small and medium enterprises (SMEs), from 6 different EU Member States. It is built on a core group of partners and experts that were involved in the EIP-AGRI Service Point from 2013 to 2021, who welcomed new organisations and established this Consortium with Ghent University as Lead Partner.

The Consortium’s strategy supports the inclusion of all relevant stakeholders in the knowledge-exchange and knowledge-building process and focuses on deepening already existing connections and on building new relationships. The Consortium is committed to provide quality support to the SCAR Working Groups, with a particular focus on the organisation and facilitation of meetings and events, and on communication.

The design and implementation of the project is built on a sound methodology and a tailored approach for successful preparation of SCAR Working Group meetings, based on project analysis and facilitation techniques, combining the best of remote (online) activities with valuable time in-person. The methodology aims to improve the overall facilitation, organisation, communication and dissemination of SCAR Working Groups activities and is strongly aligned to the objectives of enhancing collaboration, improving the quality of results of SCAR for greater impact at European and national level as well as ensure their timely delivery facing challenging changing and critical circumstances like climate change, unsecure food chains, droughts, floods, pests, pandemics, etc.