Tailored solutions for food security, sustainable energy and climate resilience: concrete impact of the AU-EU Research and Innovation Partnership on green transition
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AU–EU Research and Innovation Partnership on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA)
FNSSA, the first shared research and innovation priority under the AU–EU High Level Policy Dialogue on Science, Technology and Innovation, supports joint African and European action to enhance access to safe, nutritious and sustainably produced food in both rural and urban areas. It also aims to raise incomes, strengthen rural development and support the wider goals of the UN 2030 Agenda, especially Sustainable Development Goal 2 on zero hunger.
This portfolio shows that AU–EU cooperation has already built a large body of research and innovation activity, a broad institutional links across Africa and Europe, a strong experience in multi-country cooperation and a good base for the next roadmap 2027-2036. This renewed roadmap will be endorsed at the Second AU–EU R&I Ministerial Meeting in Addis Ababa in October 2026. More information on the AfriFOODlinks.
Watch the Consortium Europe Africa on Research and Innovation for Food Systems Transformation launched in 2022. The AU–EU International Research Consortium on FNSSA was launched to improve coordination, increase the impact of investments in research and innovation and operationalise the roadmap.
Since the partnership began, 731 projects have been identified. A broad mix of 2,363 participants in these projects, from 52 African and 27 European countries, shows that the partnership reaches beyond research alone. It brings together public institutions, civil society and business actors.
Global Service Facility, 2026
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AU–EU Research and Innovation Partnership on Climate Change and Sustainable Energy (CCSE)
The AU-EU R&I Partnership on CCSE supports two areas of collaboration: sustainable energy with focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency, and climate action for adaptation and mitigation, with focus on climate resilience and disaster risk reduction. It has created strong Africa-Europe research communities in climate services and sustainable energy, having jointly funded around 90 projects with African and European partners for an amount of close to €600 million since 2017, showing a sharp increase over the past five years. The number of funded projects has risen sharply over the past five years. More information on projects financed here.
Global Service Facility, 2026
The CCSE partnership is now revising its roadmap for 2028–2034. A common CCSE vision for climate and energy will be discussed at the CCSE Expert Working Group meeting in Addis Ababa on 27 October 2026.
Sustainable energy
The LEAP-RE programme and its successor LEAP-SE have mobilised more than EUR 50 million through four joint calls since 2021, backed by 11 African and 11 European funding agencies. A dedicated mechanism also funds African partners from countries without a participating funding agency. The 47 projects funded so far involve over 270 organisations in Africa and Europe and work on locally adapted solutions: off-grid systems and smart grids, clean cooking, cold chains, green hydrogen, recycling of renewable energy components, and productive uses of energy in agriculture and local value chains. The 2025 LEAP-SE call alone selected 16 new projects and drew interest from over 20 funders across Africa and the EU. To move results towards the market, LEAP Energy+ is launching a Startup Studio in October 2026, with five start-ups already identified as ready to scale.
Climate change
On climate side, more than 70 African entities from 23 different countries participated in 40+ projects translating climate science and Earth observation into climate intelligence and practical tools for resilience and mitigation. Projects have delivered tailored climate services developed with and for local communities — from agro-weather advice helping farmers, to early-warning systems for floods, droughts and extreme heat across 100+ vulnerable communities. The Partnership has also addressed the wider social impacts of climate change, including migration, health and inequality, helping turn climate knowledge into better decisions for communities and policymakers.
The Partnership launched Climate Services for Risk Reduction in West Africa initiative (CS4RRA) initiative, paving the way to the launch of the first joint transnational call in 2025. It will now be followed by the first Horizon Europe pan-African climate co-fund to start in early 2028, backed with an investment of €30M. to foster ambitious, science-based implementation of the Paris Agreement and give African science stronger voice in international fora, notably the IPCC.
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Read more about the II AU-EU Ministerial on Research and Innovation (R&I) and achievements on the other priorities under the AU-EU Partnership on Science, Technology and Innovation here.