Protecting plant health will help countries meet the UN sustainable goals. Plant health challenges are truly global in nature and require significant capacities, resources and infrastructure that cannot be found within the limits of a single country. Extending the organization of research and innovation beyond national borders allows to reconcile the tension between global research challenges and research spaces that are largely nationally organized. Since 2006, the Euphresco network for phytosanitary research coordination and funding started supported phytosanitary research programme owners and programme managers to develop and take advantage of synergies amongst national research programmes and activities. The success of Euphresco as a primarily European network for phytosanitary research coordination has set the ground for discussions on the development of initiative(s) to address the needs of other regions of the world and global phytosanitary research coordination.

Recently, funding was received to adapt the structure and operations of Euphresco to better serve a wider and more diverse membership, to enhance national and regional phytosanitary research coordination and to set the foundations for global phytosanitary research coordination through fit-for-purpose activities.

Consultations of stakeholders that operate in plant health at national and regional level are being organized. The consultations will allow to collect information for the development of a global strategic research agenda, the organization of joint transnational calls on shared research priorities and the shaping of governance, structures and operations of a global network for phytosanitary research coordination.

The concurrent session will be an opportunity to showcase the recent development of Euphresco and to collaborate with the community of the International Association for the Plant Protection Sciences to identify plant health needs for the Mediterranean region.