Ouvrage | ERA-NET Cofund on Sustainable Crop Production (SusCrop) – From Research Achievements to Potential Impact: Evaluation of Four Transnational Calls

Margraf, S., Gregory, P. J., Benlioğlu, K., Friberg, H., Gajewski, M., Nicot, P., & Persson Hovmalm, H. (2026). ERA-NET Cofund on Sustainable Crop Production (SusCrop) – From Research Achievements to Potential Impact: Evaluation of Four Transnational Calls. Green ERA-Hub. 

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23317613   
 

Résumé : The overall goal of the ERA-NET Cofund on Sustainable Crop Production (SusCrop) was to strengthen the European Research Area (ERA) by coordinating and sharing information on crop production research programmes of participating Member and Associated States. SusCrop launched four transnational calls, funding 38 research projects involving partners from 33 countries. This evaluation assessed scientific achievements, transnational added value and funding additionality, innovation, stakeholder engagement, translation into policy and practice, and early signs of impact. It combined programme and call documents, project reports, monitoring data, bibliometric analysis and expert assessment. The evaluation found strong scientific visibility, with 273 publications and above-average normalised citation impact. International collaboration strengthened research networks and enabled research across diverse environmental conditions and agricultural production systems. Among the responding funded partners in the first three calls, 95% considered SusCrop funding necessary for their participation. The projects generated diverse breeding materials, biological products, models, datasets, tools and prototypes. Stakeholder engagement was widespread but predominantly information-oriented. While pathways to uptake were identified, documented policy, market and field uptake remains early and uneven. The evaluation resulted in seven recommendations for Horizon Europe and partnerships, national funders, and researchers and consortia. These include earlier engagement with users and practitioners, robust FAIR data management, and continuity beyond proof of concept.