SCAR-Engage Programme
CALL FOR THIRD-YEAR APPLICATIONS
ABOUT THE SCAR-ENGAGE PROGRAMME
The SCAR-Engage Programme is an initiative designed to support new members of SCAR Working Groups (WGs) and to increase country-level visibility. It aims to empower new SCAR WG members, especially those from countries that are under-represented or less visible in SCAR, with knowledge, support and connections to enable their active participation and smooth integration into WG activities.
The SCAR-Engage Programme is to run four times from 2024 to 2027 with the third Call for expression of interest launched on 27th November, the second Year currently running and the first SCAR-Engage Programme successfully concluded. Each SCAR-Engage Programme year lasts twelve months from its official beginning date accompanied by the follow-up activities.
PROGRAMME BENEFITS
Each of the Programme participants will receive the following benefits:
- Peer-to-peer Support and Networking: Various in-person and online networking and support meetings during the SCAR-Engage Programme
- Country-level Individual Action Plans: Tailored document to address needs and ambitions regarding participation in future SCAR activities.
- Financial Support: The Programme will offer financial assistance to support new SCAR WG members to travel to physical SCAR Working Group meetings, up to a maximum of €1200 per member. The fixed rate attendance fee can be provided for a maximum of three physical meetings per member per year.
- Alumni Involvement and Certificate of Completion: SCAR-Engage participants will be offered to join post-Programme promotional activities and will be acknowledged by the dedicated participation Certificates.
THIRD CALL FOR EXPRESSION
The SCAR-Engage Third Call for Expression of Interest has officially been launched, aimed at providing the support for the SCAR Plenary delegates and interested experts who wish to join SCAR. This cycle, we are opening up two streams of application.
We are inviting members of the National Delegation to the Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR) who are interested in increasing their country’s representation in SCAR and accelerating the country’s research and innovation (R&I) agenda to apply to the RefreSCAR SCAR-Engage Programme using the Country Expression of Interest application form. Application submitted by the National Delegation to SCAR are official and will be considered in the evaluation process for the Third Year SCAR-Engage Programme.
Please note that under the 1st and 2nd year of the Programme, Bulgaria, Greece, Iceland, Poland, Romania, Spain, Czech Republic and Slovakia were selected for participation, therefore further applications cannot be accepted from these countries.
Please find below the Call Documents: i) the SCAR-Engage Supplementary Document provides you with more details - such as expectations and selection procedures; ii) a document representing the fillable PDF version of the Country Expression of Interest Application Form - but kindly note that the application must be formally submitted via the online application form ONLY.
Call Documents:
- Call for Expressions of Interest Supplementary Document
- Fillable PDF version of the form (to facilitate collaboration on an application)
Interested in Joining SCAR but Not Quite Sure Where to Begin?
The RefreSCAR SCAR-Engage Committee also welcomes experts interested in joining SCAR who may be uncertain how to reach their Country’s SCAR Delegate to submit their interest via the Expert Interest application. However, if you already know how to contact your National Delegation to SCAR, we encourage you to reach out to them directly to express your interest in joining.
- Are you a country-level SCAR Plenary Delegate? - Apply here
- Are you an expert interested in joining SCAR Working Groups or Protein Task Force? - Apply here
NOTE: The SCAR-Engage Call for Expression of Interest is planned to be launched for the fourth time in 2026 and that applications submitted for the third year may be considered for participation in the fourth and final Programme cycle.
THIRD CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
APPLICATION SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR EXPERT INTEREST APPLICATIONS:
Monday 15th December 2025 17:00 CET
APPLICATION SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR COUNTRY EXPRESSION OF INTEREST APPLICATIONS:
Thursday 22nd January 2026 17:00 CET
INVITATION OF SELECTED COUNTRIES TO PARTICIPATE IN THE THIRD YEAR PROGRAMME:
Information along with the invitation letters will be distributed from the week of 16th to the 20th of February 2026 via email.
THE KICK-OFF MEETING AND THE OFFICIAL START OF THE THIRD SCAR-ENGAGE PROGRAMME CYCLE:
The meeting will be held virtually with more information disclosed to the Programme participants in the week of 16th to the 20th of February 2026.
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ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS?
Please contact: refrescar@teagasc.ie
ABOUT REFRESCAR:
https://www.scar-europe.org/refrescar
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
Applications are invited from national delegations to SCAR, including from EU Member States, Associated Countries and Candidate Countries. As SCAR WG members are nominated by national delegates in the SCAR Plenary (SCAR’s governing body), applications must be submitted by Plenary level delegates and will not be accepted from SCAR WG members or individual experts. Only these applications will be eligible for evaluations for the Second Year SCAR-Engage Programme.
SCAR-ENGAGE PROGRAMME - HISTORY
SECOND CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
The second Call for Expressions of Interest in the SCAR-Engage Programme was announced at an event jointly hosted by Teagasc and the European Commission Representation in Ireland on Monday, 11st November. Mairead McGuinness, EU Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets Union was the main speaker at the event titled “Collaborating for Impact: Ireland and Europe working together on agri-food research”. Official Launch Meeting
The 2nd Year SCAR-Engage Meeting took place on 14th November and brought together new SCAR WG members from Spain, Slovakia and Czechia!
Insightful introductions from Foodscale Hub - leader of the SCAR Engage Programme - and RefreSCAR project coordinators from Teagasc set the stage for a vibrant and engaging session.
Facilitators from the Wageningen University & Research guided us through welcoming new Working Group members while representatives from NuaFund provided insights on application procedures for financial support.
The Meeting also featured inspiring insights from long-term SCAR members - Emmanuel Albina (CIRAD), Kristóf Ákos László (Ministry of Agriculture, Hungary) as well as participant from the SCAR-Engage 1st year - Christos Karatzas (AGRENAOS), who shared his insights on benefits of joining SCAR-Engage.
This meeting marked the continuation of SCAR-Engage commitment at fostering networking, knowledge sharing, building lasting collaborations and supporting new SCAR WG members in joining the vibrant SCAR community!
FIRST CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
The First SCAR-Engage Programme has successfully began in September 2024 with the
official Launch Meeting.
New SCAR members from Poland, Iceland, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece have been admitted to the programme.
If you are interested in the First Year SCAR-Engage Programme application documents please find them below:
- Call for Expressions of Interest Document (this document should not be used for this tender proposal; it is merely a historical example)
- Fillable PDF version of the form (this document should not be used for this tender proposal; it is merely a historical example)