14/09 + 15/09 LEAP4FNSSA Final writeshop, General Assembly and IRC Launch – towards an AU-EU International Research Consortium on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture https://paepard.blogspot.com/2022/09/science-and-partnerships-for_15.html

1. International Research Consortium
for Food and Nutrition Security and
Sustainable agriculture:
an EU-AU partnership
Supported under the EU Horizon 2020 Instrument
Tim Fry
IRC Pathways to Impact
15th September 2022
Association of Commonwealth
Universities (ACU)

2. EU-AU Research and Innovation Partnership on
Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA Partnership)
Aim: Describe the relationships between IRC’s
objectives, functions and its intended impact on the
FNSSA landscape by articulating the IRC’s logical
pathways to impact
IRC Objectives
i. Increase the synergies and coherence between actors, research and innovation
projects, initiatives and programmes, through the development of institutional
alliances and clusters of projects and expertise
ii. Develop a learning environment and a large knowledge base, including
monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) activities, creating communication
and links between different initiatives to improve STI cooperation
iii. Establish a long term and sustainable coordination infrastructure, governance
and funding mechanism
iv. Liaise with the HLPD Bureau

3. EU-AU Research and Innovation Partnership on
Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA Partnership)
Main Problem Areas
Lack of knowledge management
communication methods, mechanisms
and frameworks
Insufficient mechanisms for continuous
dialogues and action among actors in food
systems at different levels
Lack of jointly owned coordination
structures
Overarching
fragmentation of
efforts between
different actors
These problems are
multifaced,
complex, structural
and dynamic

4. EU-AU Research and Innovation Partnership on
Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA Partnership)
Functions & Services of the IRC
1. Identification of priorities, alignment of R&I
programmes, facilitate clustering of institutions &
solutions for scaling
2. Development of a credible data and knowledge
management system
3. Development and operationalization of a
sustainable & inclusive structure of R&I
governance and funding
4. Facilitate interaction between multi-stakeholders
in the FNSSA
• Identification of priorities for R&I
• Alignment of the many R&I programmes, initiatives,
and actors
• Showcase solutions that work
• Regular update on projects, programmes, and
national, regional, and continental policies
• Successive growing of an AU-EU Knowledge
Management and Communication Framework
• A sustainable and inclusive structure of governance
and funding
• Support the functioning of the AU-EU HLPD and
other FNSSA policy processes in AU & EU
• Strengthen capacity of various actors in the FNSSA
domain to develop and/or utilize outputs of AU-EU
R&I in the FNSSA domain

5. EU-AU Research and Innovation Partnership on
Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA Partnership)
Impact Pathways of the IRC
1. Simplified causal chain of events
2. Seeks to depict how activities and
functions of IRC contribute to the
realisation of outcomes within IRC
sphere of influence
3. Help to uncover assumptions and
enabling factors required for the IRC
to reach its objectives
1. Impact Pathways represent an initial
understanding of behind the IRC, from
our perspective
2. Require inputs from a diverse set of
stakeholders to better understand
pathways to impact, assumptions and
enabling factors
3. Pathways will have to adapt to include
the different priorities and aims of
actors in differing food and innovation
systems

6. EU-AU Research and Innovation Partnership on
Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA Partnership)
Inclusive,
committed
multistakeholder
Africa/ Europe
membership
Inclusive multi-
stakeholder R&I
across whole
value chains.
Improved
coordination,
synergy and
coherence of
European and Africa
R&I programmes,
initiatives and actors
.
New partnerships
identified and
collaboration
strengthened among
R&I communities
including the private
sector
Stakeholder awareness built
and factors identified
influencing interest in a R&I
platform
Multistakeholder and gender sensitive
processes to co-develop research and
foster dialogue and cooperation
Core
principles
developed,
agreed and
applied
Membership
definition and
commitment to
core principles
Strong
innovation
brokers or
facilitators
Synergy &
coherence
between
actors, R&I
projects,
initiatives and
programmes
A shared vision
defined taking into
account aspirations
of both continents
Outcomes

7. EU-AU Research and Innovation Partnership on
Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA Partnership)
Learning
environment &
knowledge base,
monitoring,
evaluation and
learning,
communication and
linkages
Informed policy
dialogue,
decision making,
practice and
policy
Enhanced
policy
relevance of
R&I
Innovation for
impact and support
for knowledge
sharing with the
alliances and
showcasing
solutions
New knowledge,
products,
innovation
processes and
lesson learning
shared with
decision-makers,
different
stakeholders, end-
users and funders.
Upscaling and capacity
development that link
practitioners to research
Mechanisms, tools and
data systems developed
to facilitate multi-
stakeholder and bi-
continental
communication
M&E Framework and
stakeholder benefit
monitoring system in
place
Networks of projects and
programs contribute to new
knowledge generation within
the institutional alliances and
networks
Enabling processes for
communication of
research outputs and
development of R&I
Outcomes

8. EU-AU Research and Innovation Partnership on
Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA Partnership)
Strengthened EU-Africa
investment in research,
innovation–based growth and
job creation
IRC established as a
sustainable and
adaptable platform
for mid/long term
contribution to EU
AU FNSSA Roadmap
Effective partnerships
and multidisciplinary
project teams mobilise
stakeholders and source
funds
Platform organisation
and appropriate and
inclusive governance
and coordination
mechanisms co-designed
and documented
Identification of
strategic topics for
funding mobilization
and coordination.
Strengthened
institutional
alliances and
coordination hubs
(clusters) to
support joint
funding and joint
priority setting
Increased
funding to
network
members for
projects aligned
with the
Roadmap pillars
Strengthened
governance structures
support identification &
mobilization of new
funds based on multi-
actor research teams
A committed mid- and
long-term funding
mechanism for the IRC
established
Functioning
secretariat
supporting
the platform
Governance systems
and structures
provide effective and
efficient running of
the platform
Long term
and
sustainable
governance
and
funding of
the
Platform
Outcomes

9. EU-AU Research and Innovation Partnership on
Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA Partnership)
Inclusive, committed
multistakeholder
Africa/ Europe
membership
Inclusive multi-stakeholder
R&I across whole value
chains.
Strengthened EU-Africa
investment in research,
innovation–based growth
and job creation
Enhanced impact of R&I
investments and scaling
up
Informed policy dialogue,
decision making, practice
and policy
Enhanced policy
relevance of R&I
Improved coordination, synergy and
coherence of European and Africa R&I
programmes, initiatives and actors.
IRC established as a sustainable and adaptable platform for
mid/long term contribution to EU AU FNSSA Roadmap
Innovation for impact and support for
knowledge sharing with the alliances
and showcasing solutions
New knowledge, products,
innovation processes and
lesson learning shared with
decision-makers, different
stakeholders, end-users and
funders.
Effective partnerships and
multidisciplinary project teams
mobilise stakeholders and source funds
New partnerships identified and
collaboration strengthened among R&I
communities including the private sector
Platform organisation and appropriate and
inclusive governance and coordination
mechanisms co-designed and documented
Upscaling and capacity development
that link practitioners to research
Stakeholder awareness built and factors
identified influencing interest in a R&I
platform
Identification of strategic topics for funding
mobilization and coordination.
Multistakeholder and gender sensitive processes to co-
develop research and foster dialogue and cooperation
Strengthened institutional
alliances and coordination
hubs (clusters) to support
joint funding and joint
priority setting
Mechanisms, tools and data systems
developed to facilitate multi-stakeholder
and bi-continental communication.
M&E Framework and stakeholder benefit
monitoring system in place
Contribution to SDGs 2, 17.
Food & nutrition security,
Sustainable Agriculture,
and Strengthened global
partnership for sustainable
development.
Core principles
developed, agreed
and applied
Increased funding to network
members for projects aligned
with the Roadmap pillars
Networks of projects and programs contribute
to new knowledge generation within the
institutional alliances and networks
Strengthened governance structures support
identification & mobilization of new funds
based on multi-actor research teams
A committed mid- and long-term
funding mechanism for the IRC
established
Functioning secretariat
supporting the platform
Enabling processes for communication of
research outputs and development of
R&I
Membership definition
and commitment to core
principles
Strong innovation
brokers or facilitators
Improved multidisciplinary
Africa-Europe collaborative
research & innovation in
FNSSA
Governance systems and structures
provide effective and efficient running of
the platform
Synergy
&
coherence
between
actors,
R&I
projects,
initiatives
and
programmes
Learning
environment
&
knowledge
base,
monitoring,
evaluation
and
learning,
communication
and
linkages
Long
term
and
sustainable
governance
and
funding
of
the
Platform
A shared vision defined
taking into account
aspirations of both
continents
Sphere of influence
Sphere of interest
Outcomes
Impacts

10. EU-AU Research and Innovation Partnership on
Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA Partnership)
Questions
1. What critical pathways have been
missed?
2. How can we articulate these pathways
in a way that attracts actors with
different priorities?
3. What are the main assumptions we are
making in the development of these
pathways to impact?
4. How can we bring in the perspectives
of others?

11. Supported under the EU Horizon 2020 Instrument
Thank you
Merci Beaucoup
Shukran ً‫ﺍ‬‫ُﻜﺮ‬‫ﺷ‬
Asante Sana