RefreSCAR Documents
INDUCTION PACK
A READER-FRIENDLY GUIDE FOR SCAR WORKING GROUP MEMBERS
Task 3.2 - Empower new SCAR WG members with knowledge and connections to enable their active participation and smooth integration into WG activities | update May 2026
Deliverable 3.1
REPORT ON FOCUS GROUP FINDINGS - 09/01/2025
Led by the Ministry of Agriculture in Hungary and colleagues in RefreSCAR WP3, Task 3.1 sought to explore the motivations and barriers for representatives of EU Member States and Associated Countries engaging in SCAR Working Groups (WGs) and Task Forces (TFs). Two Focus Group meetings were organised in December 2023 involving representatives across different SCAR WG/TFs:
- One focusing on gathering good practices/examples for active participation,
- And a second focusing on the barriers to participation and support needs of WG/TF representatives.
The report highlights many benefits of active participation in SCAR WG/TFs, such as international cooperation and networking, creating synergies between topic areas, improving science-policy dialogue and acquiring up-to-date information on EU-funded projects, policies and scientific results. The Focus Group discussions suggest that challenges to participation mainly lie at the national level, with limited knowledge of SCAR, lack of financial and human resources and communication sometimes presenting barriers to full engagement. The report puts forward some good practices for SCAR WG/TF members, showing that SCAR WG/TFs work best with (self-)motivated members representing their country’s interest to reach (long-term) impact not only at the national level but in the European Research Area.
The findings of this task will feed into designing the SCAR-Engage Programme which will support four different SCAR Member countries each year throughout the RefreSCAR project lifetime to improve the inclusiveness of countries across SCAR Groups.
