Partnerships

Accelerating Farming Systems Transitions (agroecology)

Accelerating Farming Systems Transitions (agroecology)

Partnership website: https://scar-europe.org/

This partnership aims to structure and support a network of living labs and research infrastructures accelerating the transition towards agroecology throughout Europe. These living labs and research infrastructures will support farmers in understanding and implementing agroecological practices at the scale needed for positive economic, environmental and social impacts. The European Commission chose the livings labs approach because agroecology is territory-bound and more important changes in ecosystems happen slowly so it is important to look at the same area over a longer period of time to determine the effects. 

The partnership is supported by the standing committee on agricultural research (SCAR) which has been in existence since the seventies. 

Contact

Commission services: Paola EulalioSusana Gaona Saez

Partners: SCAR Strategic Working Group on Agroecology (SCAR-AE) - Nicolas TinoisBenjamin SanchezTorsten Rodel Berg

background: Agroecology in this context means understanding ecosystems better and using this knowledge to design more sustainable farming practices and systems.

 

What are partnerships?

Partnerships group the EC and private and/or public partners, to coordinate and streamline the research & innovation initiatives and funding in some selected key domains.

How to use partnerships?

  • orientation
    Partnerships publish strategic documents, e.g. outlining the main research and innovation challenges or key focus points.
  • networking
    Partnerships often organise events, such as info days, brokerage events, etc. Meet potential partners and learn about the nuances that are not visible in the official documents.
  • ecosystem analysis
    Partnerships typically have an advisory board, and publish impact studies of previous actions. These are good sources of information to uncover the main R&D&I players in the domain.
  • steering the agenda
    Partnerships collaborate with the EC on outlining the strategy and the future funding opportunities in their domain, based on input from industry, academia, and other stakeholders.
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Pascal Verheye

pascal.verheye@vlaio.be

Testimonial

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Autoship - a new and durable way of freight transport

Autoship is, as the name suggests, an acronym for autonomous ship. Just like with self-driving cars, the possibilities of an unmanned boat seem endless. It can create more efficient freight transport, around the clock deliveries and these are just a few of the examples. The project has two societal challenges.

At first, De Vlaamse Waterweg was a bit hesitant as their experience with FP7 or Horizon 2020 projects was limited and they had not been very successful up until then. The fact that they were already doing basic research on the topic of autonomous boats, and the administrative help of NCP FLanders helped De Vlaamse waterweg to cross the line and get involved.