Background and Rationale
The AU–EU International Research Consortium (IRC) on Food, Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA) is a bi-continental, multi-stakeholder platform launched in 2022 to strengthen coordination, alignment, and coherence across African and European research and innovation (R&I) ecosystems. The IRC operationalizes the FNSSA Roadmap 2027–2036, under the framework of the AU–EU High-Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) on Science, Technology, and Innovation.
Building on the FNSSA Roadmap (2016–2026) and guided by the IRC Strategy and Implementation Plan (2025–2030), the IRC employs a decentralized coordination and delivery model anchored in six Functional Working Groups (FWGs). To ensure contextual responsiveness and inclusivity, the IRC designates Anchor Institutions—strategic, regionally embedded entities that serve as advocacy, coordination, mobilization, and knowledge nodes across Africa and Europe.
Anchor Institutions act as regional and sub-regional “hubs” to promote the IRC’s mission, mobilize networks, facilitate stakeholder engagement, and sustain coherence across research, policy, and innovation ecosystems. They represent the operational backbone of the IRC’s distributed governance system.
Purpose of the Call
This Call for Expressions of Interest invites eligible institutions to apply for designation as IRC
Anchor Institutions.
Designated entities will serve as the IRC’s regional advocacy and coordination arms, supporting implementation of the FNSSA Roadmap and the IRC’s Functional Working Groups through:
- Expanding and diversifying IRC membership and regional participation;
- Strengthening partnerships among FNSSA actors across sectors;
- Facilitating regional communication, coordination, and policy alignment;
- Enhancing visibility, advocacy, and knowledge flow across the AU–EU R&I ecosystem;
- Supporting regional implementation of Joint Work Programmes (JWPs) and related performance frameworks.
Through these functions, Anchor Institutions will contribute directly to sustainable agricultural transformation, food systems resilience, and equitable innovation scaling across Africa and Europe.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible candidates must:
- Be a legal national or regional public or private entity, and a signatory or registered member of the AU–EU IRC on FNSSA;
- Demonstrate institutional capacity and thematic expertise in at least one FNSSA domain (e.g., sustainable intensification, nutrition and food systems, agroecology, markets and trade, climate-smart agriculture, digitalization);
- Possess a strong national footprint and demonstrated ability to coordinate regional networks, alliances, or policy platforms;
- Represent one of the IRC’s four geographic coordination blocks:
- Eastern Africa & Eastern Europe
- Western Africa & Western Europe
- Northern Africa & Northern Europe
- Southern Africa & Southern Europe
- Demonstrate experience in multi-stakeholder coordination, knowledge brokerage, or policy advocacy, ideally through initiatives such as CEA-FIRST, LEAP-Agri, DeSIRA, FOSC, StEPPFoS, or equivalent R&I programs;
- Show institutional commitment to IRC’s values of inclusivity, co-ownership, transparency, gender equity, youth empowerment, and mutual accountability;
- Be willing to adhere to the IRC’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) and Performance Reporting Framework.