The European Commission and INRA, the project coordinator, have recently signed a contract to launch an Era-Net project called ArimNet for the coordination of agricultural research in the Mediterranean.    
    
The project is part of the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Development (FP7) and, under the broader scope of creating the European Research Area (ERA), seeks to promote cooperation between the Member and Associate States of the European Union in their research activities, by networking previously-identified and selected research programmes. The ArimNet project thus provides an initial framework and opportunity to rethink and develop scientific cooperation with the Mediterranean countries through the funding of cooperation initiatives.
ArimNet's initial 18-month phase will identify national research programmes dedicated to Mediterannean agricultural issues, in order to select those with a potiential for coordination efforts 9 months later. Coordination may take shape as joint programming between the participating countries, or be more integrated as a single programme and call for tenders for all countries.  

While the project follows the traditional Era-Net structure, it has several original characteristics:
1. The four non-EU countries from the south of the Mediterranean are full members of the project and are systematically responsible for performing the tasks identified in the project. Consequently, the ArimNet project will provide a forum for dialogue between Mediterranean countries to determine scientific issues of joint interest and to establish priorities.
2. In addition to its members, the project may also receive support from two international organisations known for their involvement in this part of the world: the CIHEAM (International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies), which was active in setting up the project, and ICARDA (International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas).
3. A spot will be reserved in the inventory of national research programmes for a survey of research exchange structures and available technical platforms in order to provide better support for programme coordination, by enabling some liaising for hosting researchers and opening access to technical platforms.

The ArimNet project should ultimately lead to more efficient agricultural research on issues affecting Mediterranean agriculture, thanks to greater sharing of concerns and an increased focus on common goals, such as the management of natural resources like water and soil, emerging and invasive diseases, food safety, and rural development.