The Cofund Action Suscrop is structured into eight work packages (WPs) over the lifetime of five years (2018-2022).
The objectives of the individual WPs are summarised as follows:
WP1: The objective of WP1 is to manage and coordinate the ERA-Net Cofund Action SusCrop.
WP2: WP2 will implement the SusCrop Co-funded Call and it will cover the management of the Co-funded Call from its definition up to the launch date and beyond, with applicant support via a dedicated helpdesk run by the Call Office. The work package will ensure that all documents and procedures fulfil the rules for an ERA-Net Cofund Call and are approved by the funders involved. WP2 lays the base for WP3, which will cover the evaluation phase of the co-funded call.
WP3: This WP will manage the evaluation and selection of transnational proposals in accordance with the procedures and guidelines of the ERA-Net Cofund scheme. It will provide an agreed, ranked, final list of project proposals and assure a transparent and independent procedure for the evaluation of proposals.
WP4: The objectives of this WP are (i) to define a common set of project monitoring indicators and procedures that fulfil the SusCrop and FACCE-JPI criteria; (ii) to develop a common reporting procedure; (iii) to implement straightforward reporting and monitoring procedures for co-funded research projects, and (iv) to assess the potential impact of co-funded research projects in collaboration with FACCE-JPI’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Valorisation strategy.
WP5: The aim of this WP is to facilitate, implement and support an effective communication for SusCrop and its co-funded research projects including the dissemination of results and achievements to the scientific community, programme owners/managers, funding bodies, policy makers and external stakeholders such as the plant industry and farmers’ associations. The communication activities will be directed to support the exchange of knowledge and the development of sustainable crop production systems in all partner countries and beyond. A key objective is to promote a productive knowledge exchange and in two directions: from users to scientists and from scientists to non-scientific end-users for promoting innovation in sustainable crop production.
WP6: SusCrop aims to provide regular and integrated funding opportunities (without top-up funding from the European Commission) to the scientific community working on sustainable crop production. These funding opportunities will stimulate the translation of sustainability into practice and enhance the cooperation between the ERA-NET partners. They will complement the co-funded call in a meaningful way and increase its impact. WP6 will work closely with the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) that will be elaborated in WP8 and that will be part of the FACCE-JPI SRA. The WP will work closely together with FACCE-JPI and it will be building on information received from other non-funding additional activities (WP7) such as workshops or stakeholder events.
WP7: The overall goal of WP7 is to implement other joint activities within the scope of SusCrop. “Other additional joint activities” are designed to support the overall objectives of the ERA-NET and its scope. WP7 will collaborate with WP4 on the follow-up of projects, with WP5 on communication, with WP6 on other funding activities and with WP8 on Strategy regarding the alignment of topics for specific activities.
WP8: This WP will identify existing national/regional, European and international research and foresight studies in agricultural research related to sustainable crop production to determine their complementarity to SusCrop. A gap analysis will identify research areas which are unaddressed, not funded at critical mass or outdated. Through the involvement of the FACCE–JPI Secretariat, this work package will integrate the work of this ERA-NET into the larger scope of FACCE–JPI and elaborate the short and long term strategy to ensure that this ERA-NET advances the FACCE–JPI SRA and FACCE–JPI objectives.
SusCrop management and governance
