About ArcX

Objectives: 

1. Through the transversal components, the program will be coordinated, steering thematic support provided to the RCoEs with the aim of enhancing cross-thematic and cross-regional synergies, as well as fostering collaboration with major pan-African projects and initiatives.
2. The Africa Knowledge Platform enables data and information sharing across the RCoEs and other stakeholders. The platform also develops and hosts decision-support tools to help policy makers with spatial prioritisation and land use planning, contributing to the strengthening of the science-policy interface. AKP stands at the core of the program serving as knowledge and communication hub while promoting stakeholders' active participation.
3. The Innovation Ecosystem work package aims at developing and implementing a methodology for a systemic place-based approach to mobilise STI for green transition. The methodology targets the strengthening of RCoEs capacities to identify and assess the interlinkages between sustainability challenges, with the objective to help in anticipating and mitigating potential negative effects of investment decisions.
4. Formulate and execute responses to environmental degradation and DRR.

Duration: Full project duration
Budget: €3.5 million  
Lead Organisation:  DG-JRC

Objectives: 

1. The regional Centres of Excellence (RCoEs) become a reference point for updated information, able to influence policy decisions in the respective regions on forestry and biodiversity, contributing to the regional and global agendas.
2. Cross-sectoral and cross-regional coordination and strategic steering of RCoEs will be improved to address the Science, Technology and Innovations challenges related to Africa green transition. 

Location: Eastern Africa, Western Africa, Central Africa, Southern Africa 
Duration: 54 months (Central Africa); 48 months (Eastern Africa); 48 months (Western Africa) 
Budget: €7 million (Central Africa); €6 million (Eastern Africa); €8 million (Western Africa) 
Lead Organisation: CIFOR-ICRAF
JRC Thematic Unit

Regional Centres of Excellence:
Eastern and Southern African Regional Centre for Mapping Resources for Development (RCMRD)
Western Africa: Centre de Suivi Ecologique (CSE)
Central Africa: Observatoire des forets d’Afrique Centrale (OFAC):

Objectives: 

1. Conduct innovative research and provide recommendations to support decision-making on water resources management, environmental degradation, and disaster risk reduction (DRR) at both national and transboundary levels.
2. Enhance skills and build capacity.
3. Develop and implement response programs at all levels to improve management and ensure equitable access to water and WASH resources.
4. Formulate and execute responses to environmental degradation and DRR.

Location: Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Duration: 48 months
Budget: €5 million
Lead Organisation:  Stellenbosch University (South Africa)    

Objectives: 

1. Strengthen the scientific, technological, and institutional capacities of Specialised Regional Organisations (SROs) and RMRNs/RCoEs in agroecology to produce, collect, access, process, share data/information and to conduct impactful research activities using a gender-sensitive approach.
2. Enhance the contribution of RMRNs/RCoEs in agroecology to transformative, high-quality research and the generation and dissemination of scientific knowledge.
3. Improve cross-sectoral and cross-regional coordination and strategic steering of RCoEs to address the challenges related to Science, Technology and Innovations in Africa’s green transition. 

Location: Eastern Africa, Western Africa, Central and Southern Africa 
Duration: 36 months 
Budget: €2 million 
Lead Organisation: Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), JRC Thematic Unit 

Regional Centres of Excellence: 
Eastern Africa: International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE)
Western Africa: West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research (CORAF)t
Southern Africa:  Centre for Coordination of Agriculture Research and Development (CCARDESA)

Objectives:

1. Strengthen African capacities in ocean monitoring and forecasting at national, regional, and pan-african levels.
2. Develop regional autonomy through Regional Centres of Excellence (RCoEs) for locally producing and utilizing ocean data and forecasts.
3. Enable tailored digital ocean services for sustainable marine ecosystem management and hazard mitigation.
4. Increase policymaker awareness of innovative decision-support tools for coastal zone management.  

Duration: 2025-2028

Budget: €7 million

Lead organisation: Mercator Ocean International leads the initiative through its Ocean Prediction Decade Collaborative Centre, leveraging its expertise as the implementer of the EU Copernicus Marine Service and its role in the EU Digital Twin Ocean Programme.