Society and regional strategies 3 min

Top EU food & agri institutes launch new science alliance

PRESS RELEASE - Five of Europe’s leading agricultural, food and life sciences institutions announce the launch of the European Science Alliance for Agriculture and Food (ESAAF)—a new scientific coalition designed to support the transformation and resilience of the EU agri-food sector.

Published on 08 May 2025

© INRAE

ESAAF aims to harness the momentum and shared ambition across Europe to create sustainable, competitive, and resilient food systems. EU policy makers have some pressing dilemmas to tackle in that regard. ESAAF will serve as a hub and dedicated scientific voice in food system policy discussions, ensuring that sound, independent evidence underpins future strategies.

The three founding members of ESAAF highlighted the following facts:

  • “Science must play a fundamental role in transforming Europe’s food systems. ESAAF will provide a critical bridge between research and policy, helping the EU navigate the complex challenges of the agri-food domain “We firmly believe food and agricultural policy needs a fertile ground of facts to bear fruit.”” said Mrs. Sjoukje Heimovaara, president of Wageningen University & Research
  • “Despite ongoing efforts to strengthen Europe’s research and innovation ecosystem on agrifood sector, there remains no single, coordinated entry point for engaging with the research sector at the European level.” emphasized Philippe Mauguin, CEO of INRAE.
  • "We are firmly convinced that the excellence and practice driven scientific expertise that we provide under the auspices of ESAAF will play a crucial role in the current and forthcoming transformation of the European agri-food sector. As part of the founding team behind ESAAF we are very keen to strengthen the link between research and policy to the benefit of the whole of Europe," according to Eskild Holm Nielsen, Dean of Faculty of Technical Sciences at Aarhus University.

A united scientific front

The current members of ESAAF represent a geographically diverse and scientifically powerful coalition:

  • Aarhus University (AU) – Denmark
  • Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI) - Germany
  • National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) – France
  • Wageningen University & Research (WUR) – The Netherlands
  • Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS) – Poland

Together, these institutions make decades of scientific excellence, innovation, and field-based knowledge available to Brussels’ policy makers. ESAAF is not limited to these five institutions and expects an expansion from organizations in different regions with academic merits in the field of agriculture and food.

Science, structured for impact

ESAAF offers to act as a European representative body for agricultural and food research, offering independent, high-level scientific expertise, for example to support the European Commission and stakeholders involved in the European Board for Agriculture and Food (EBAF).

By complementing existing institutions like the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Science Advice Mechanism (SAM), ESAAF focuses specifically on the complexity and diversity of agriculture and food systems, ensuring that regional specificities and the latest research findings inform EU policies.

Key functions of ESAAF include:

  • Providing rapid and targeted most up-to date scientific input to policy discussions
  • Acting as a platform for coordinated, cross-European agri-food research advice
  • Serving as a way to ensure synergies for existing networks, and preventing duplication
  • Supporting the coordination and launch of new research initiatives aligned with European challenges in the field of agriculture and food
INRAE Media relations
Wageningen University & Research - Jan Willem Bol, spokesman

Learn more

Food, Global Health

The TSARA initiative: collaborative research promoting sustainable food systems in Africa and Europe continues to expand

PRESS RELEASE - In a context of climate crises, water scarcity and food insecurity, TSARA seeks to transform food systems in Africa and the Mediterranean, combining local innovation and international exchange of knowledge. The strategic reinforcement and development of the initiative were ratified by the 3rd General Assembly—held on 26 February to coincide with the Paris International Agricultural Show—attended by the 32 TSARA member institutions. To mark the occasion, and with Morocco as this year's guest of honour, ENA Meknès (Morocco) and CIRAD (France) have taken over the co-presidency of TSARA from INRAE and ISRA (Senegal).

26 February 2025

Agroecology

Launch of GrapeBreed4IPM, a European project for sustainable solutions in viticulture

PRESS RELEASE - Viticulture is one of the largest agri-food export sectors in the European Union. Given the economic and cultural importance of wine in Europe, supporting the sector in a transition to new practices is essential to ensuring its viability in the coming decades. The development of disease-resistant grapevine varieties and consumer perception lie at the heart of the Horizon Europe “GrapeBreed4IPM” project*. Coordinated by INRAE, this four-year project brings together 19 partners and two affiliated partners from seven countries to develop decision-making tools for grapevine professionals that will help them sustainably manage their vineyards in adherence with European standards.

07 May 2024

Food, Global Health

The TSARA initiative confirms its commitment to transforming agrifood systems through research and innovation in partnership with Africa

PRESS RELEASE - Launched in March 2022, the TSARA Initiative - Transforming Food Systems and Agriculture through Research in Partnership with Africa – including 22 members from African and French institutions across 14 different countries, held its second general assembly on January 25th in Saly, Senegal. Under the co-presidency of the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) in South Africa and CIRAD (France) leaders from 20 African research and training institutions and 2 French institutions shared key advancements, validated the scientific agenda and action plan collaboratively developed by these institutions' teams. The goal is to promote productive, resilient, climate change-adaptive, autonomous, and sustainable food systems, contributing to food security and sovereignty, nutrition, job creation, resource preservation, and overall health. The initiative welcomed three new associate members: AgroParisTech (France), Institut Agro (France), and University of Gaston Berger (Senegal). Additionally, the governance for 2024 was formalized, with INRAE and ISRA appointed as co-presidents for the year, and preparations for the 2025 co-presidency.

26 January 2024