The aim of SUSFOOD2 is to foster research and innovation in the field of sustainable food systems through enhanced cooperation and coordination between EU member and associated states. It will thereby contribute to the overall EU objective of building the European Research Area as well as a newly emerging Food Research Area. Major challenges will influence future food chains asking for innovative solutions to - respond to increased demand for food by increasing production sustainably (Food and Nutrition Security) - make optimal use of resources while mitigating impact on the environment - reducing losses and waste - follow a whole food chain approach from production to consumption - improving competitiveness of the European agri-food-business SUSFOOD2 focusses on sustainability in post-harvest food production, thus covering relevant fields from natural sciences to food engineering and social sciences. Building on the achievements of its predecessor in FP7, SUSFOOD2 Cofund will strengthen efforts to support and fund excellent research in the food area by one co-funded call of around 11.4 Mio. €. The consortium also aims at implementing other additional activities in a three-fold approach: i) strengthening networking and knowledge transfer among various stakeholders (i.e. by workshops, stakeholder events etc.) ii) additional funding activities without EU co-fund (preferably linked with other initiatives) iii) implementation and further advancement of the SUSFOOD SRA (developed in FP7) With the outlined approach SUSFOOD2 will contribute to - maximizing impact of transnational cooperation pooling resources (material and intellectual) and implementing best practice - using synergies and reducing overlap by interacting with related (international) initiatives (especially JPIs HDHL and FACCE) - Promoting the outputs of SUSFOOD2 network and funded projects via targeted dissemination thus sharing common vision and creating awareness for the field of food sustainability.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health challenge with an estimated 67% increase in global deaths attributable to AMR by 2050. The European Partnership One Health AMR (EUP OHAMR) is aiming to reduce the burden of AMR with an integrated One Health (OH) approach, recognising that human, animal and plant health are interdependent and interlinked with the environment. The partnership will boost AMR research and innovation (R&I) addressing the current knowledge gaps with the aim to improve surveillance of resistant pathogens and provide better diagnostics and more effective treatments of drug-resistant infections. It will support implementation research on prevention measures reducing the use of antimicrobials and spread of AMR and launch an ambitious work programme of joint activities to coordinate R&I investments, facilitate the use and re-use of R&I data, strengthen AMR R&I capacities and facilitate both knowledge translation and uptake of research results and innovations by industry, society, and policy makers. The EUP OHAMR builds on the long-standing collaboration of the partners from the Joint Programme Initiative on AMR (JPIAMR) but with a bigger ambition and a broader scope. The partnership consists of 53 partners from 30 countries from the European Union (EU) and beyond. With active engagement of key stakeholders across the AMR landscape, the partnership will strengthen European and global synergies through alignment of research priorities, policies, and investments. Furthermore, EUP OHAMR will support multisectoral and multidisciplinary collaborations to break the existing silos in AMR research. It will result in increased knowledge and solutions and provide an evidence base for uptake into policy and practice to prevent and tackle AMR. Thus, the EUP OHAMR will deliver towards to the priorities set in the European One Health Action plan against AMR, thereby strengthening the European Research and Innovation Area ecosystem and contribute to making the EU a best-practice region on AMR.

The objective of FACCE SURPLUS is to strengthen the European Research Area in support of different integrated food and non-food biomass production and transformation systems, especially by organising, implementing and cofunding with the EU a joint call for transnational research projects on the topic of sustainable and resilient agriculture. As this topic falls within the scope of the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) of the Joint Programming Initiative on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change (FACCE–JPI), this ERA-NET Cofund will contribute substantially to the delivery of the FACCE–JPI SRA. It will thereby also contribute to the overall EU objective of building the European Research Area through enhanced cooperation, coordination and alignment of national research programmes. The action FACCE SURPLUS also aims at implementing other joint activities such as organizing workshops, scientific events, clustering of research platforms and infrastructures in the field of food and non-food biomass production and transformation systems, and also additional joint calls without EU cofunding. Launching such joint calls on a regular basis would pave the way to the long term objective of FACCE SURPLUS to establish a self-sustaining joint programme for FACCE-JPI. This will include establishing links with ongoing FACCE-JPI actions as well as related EU and international initiatives. FACCE SURPLUS will also support innovation and value creation from biomass in a sustainable way. The ERA-NET Cofund instrument is appropriate for FACCE-JPI, since it provides additional incentive to participating countries to engage financially on the field of sustainable and resilient agriculture, but also includes the flexibility to implement further activities to contribute to the establishment of a renewable bioeconomy in the ERA.

This proposal responds to topic “SFA-31-2019 A” of the work programme 2018-2020 of societal challenge 2 under Horizon 2020. The overall objective of “ICT-enabled agri-food systems” is strengthening the cooperation in research, development and innovation between EU Member and associated States to foster, verifiably and perceptibly, the use of smart digital technology to make European food systems more sustainable, resilient and secure. With financial support of the European Commission (EC), the proposing consortium will organise and fund joint calls for transnational research projects on an annual basis. Funded research projects will contribute to introducing and exploring digital technology that enhances the sustainability of the agri-food sector to the benefit of our and future generations. Beyond co-funded calls, other joint activities in this thematic area will be implemented, thus contributing to the establishment of a fair and societally accepted bioeconomy in the EU and beyond. The consortium will intensify, broaden and deepen the successful cooperation established in the framework of its predecessor FP7 ERA-NET; ICT-AGRI-2.

The European Partnership Animal Health & Welfare (EUP AH&W) will provide society with a sustainable production for both terrestrial and aquatic animals, where infectious animal diseases are prevented and controlled, antimicrobials are used prudently, and a high level of animal welfare is provided in every phase of animal’s life. The objectives of the EUP AH&W fit in with the European Green Deal and its associated Farm to Fork strategy for a fair, healthy, and environmentally friendly food system. From its start, the EUP AH&W includes 56 Research Performing Organizations (RPO) and 30 Funding Organizations (FO) from 24 EU and non-EU European countries. The RPO partners provide significant research-based advice to competent authorities in the EU and are the backbone of Animal Health & Welfare (AHW) research in Europe. They collaborated to transpose 16 actions from the EUP Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (EUP SRIA) into 17 joint internal projects. The FO partners will contribute through external calls to further R&I actions from the EUP SRIA not covered by internal activities as they require other expertise or industry participations. Due to the close link between animal health and welfare and human well-being, the One Health-One Welfare perspective will take a prominent place in the EUP AH&W. The mobilisation of resources from both RPO and FO together with EC co-funding will allow the Partnership to achieve ambitious goals for AHW at the transnational level, in Europe and beyond. New technologies develop rapidly and provide new R&I opportunities for AHW, to be included in the EUP AH&W as joint internal activities and projects initiated through external calls. The management will set up appropriate procedures and methodologies to ensure a fair coverage of AHW, of terrestrial and aquatic animal species, the various priority areas and to ensure the uptake of the results in the midterm (outcomes) and long term (impact) for science, society and policy.