Alignment of national programmes is a core activity of FACCE-JPI. The FACCE-JPI mission is to achieve, support and promote integration, alignment and joint implementation of national resources under a common Strategic Research Agenda to address the diverse challenges in agriculture, food security and climate change.

Given the immensity of the societal challenge being addressed, no one can be expected to meet the challenge alone. By aligning national programming, FACCE-JPI seeks to progress faster towards solutions to solve societal challenges and to avoid duplication, to better cover research gaps, to create critical mass and European added value and to use limited resources more efficiently.

FACCE-JPI has developed a number of tools for alignment, including the Knowledge Hub, the Knowledge Network and the Thematic Annual Programming (TAP) Network. For more information about the last two, please see the FACCE-JPI Implementation Plan.

Exploratory workshops

Exploratory workshops bring together experts, funders and FACCE representatives to explore emerging topics, varying from big data to new breeding technologies and urban agriculture. Exploratory workshops can lead to new activities, to recommendations and/or to the identification of partners with whom to collaborate.

Valorisation workshops

Valorisation workshops explore ways to valorise FACCE’s research. They foster dialogue between researchers and stakeholders, and common understanding of policy needs. They also help to identify the most urgent social issues.  Valorisation workshops explore ways to valorise funded research projects.

Knowledge Hub

A Knowledge Hub is focused on research, networking and capacity building in a certain research area. FACCE’s first Knowledge Hub was MACSUR (2012-2018), in which research institutes have jointly improved scenario studies. A Knowledge Hub focus on the alignment of already funded national research projects. Countries which are interested can chose whether they want to fund research, or whether they prefer to participate through the funding of coordination and networking.

Knowledge Network

A Knowledge Network fosters cooperation and communication between funders, policy makers, research groups and other stakeholders. A Knowledge Network is temporary, has a clear focus, and is also primarily focussed on making effective use of existing funding. An example of this action is Knowledge Network Sustainable Intensification (KNSI) in which institutes are developing sustainability indexes together.

Thematic Annual Programming (TAP)

Thematic Annual Programming (TAP) is a ‘light’ tool to align national research programs on a specific topic. FACCE-JPI first promotes that national research agencies publish the same call text on a topic. Project coordinators will then participate in annual meetings to exchange on methods, data (exchange) and results, and projects should foresee 7-10% of the total budget to be allocated to these networking activities. FACCE-JPI has organized TAP-SOIL, aimed at stimulating organic matter sequestration in the soil.

European Research Area Network Cofund (ERA-Net Cofund) Actions

ERA-NET Cofund Actions are a means of aligning national programmes with Horizon 2020 programmes. Projects in ERA-NETs are thus financed by participating Member States and the EC. FACCE-JPI collaborates with existing related ERA-NETs, and has proposed new ERA-NETs. FACCE-JPI has collaborated in 4 co-funded ERA-NET Actions.

European Joint Programme (EJP) Cofunds

The EJP Cofunds also aim at adding national resources to related Horizon 2020 resources. These Cofunds allow the implementation of a range of joint activities, from research and innovation to coordination and networking activities, including training, demonstration and dissemination activities, and support to third parties.

Interaction with existing European and international initiatives

To enlarge its impact, FACCE-JPI interacts with relevant European initiatives, such as Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), other Joint Programming Initiatives (JPIs), Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and European Innovation Partnerships (EIPs). FACCE-JPI also interacts with international initiatives, such as the Global Research Alliance (GRA) and the related Coordination and Support Action on Soil Carbon Sequestration (CIRCASA).