AEP helps to set up EU projects
AEP facilitates the setting-up of transnational projects thanks to:
>  an international network of addresses and contacts (scientific experts or partners, economic and industrial collaborators);
>  a multidisciplinary and interactive approach;
>  information and advice for people who target European Union R&D framework programmes and other sources of research funding; (go to the digest of recent calls for proposals)
>  a representative force for approaching the Commission of the European Union and other policy making organisation.

AEP recommendations and guidelines
One of the role of AEP Scientific Committee is for its members to act as scientific experts on grain legumes: representing the AEP members and providing an expert appraisal, that means (i) assessing the state of art, (ii) identifying gaps, (iii) defining guidelines, orientations, priorities and recommendations.

During the annual meetings, a brainstorming enables the AEP SC members to work on a reference document proposing recommendations for the future research works on grain legumes.
Look at the SC recommendations
At the occasion of the Legume Lisbon conference (November 2007), a vison paper is being discussed among legume community.

AEP and on-going EU projects consortia
Following discussions and assessment of on-going activities, the AEP-SC recommends to set up research projects which are complementary to the current GRAIN LEGUMES IP and cover priority weak areas, especially production system approaches which cover the crop and rotation dimension, the socio-economics aspects, the end-uses such as animal comsumption and non-food uses.

The AEP-SC expert appraisal is complemented by the analysis of the partnerships of on-going projects for each specific areas, especially by the discussions with the Scientific Committee of GLIP, the Grain Legumes Integrated Project, one of the major current EU consortium of scientists and related partners.  

AEP favours the exchanges between the different projects and experts and organise discussions and exchanges between legume delegates and EU officers and decison-makers to provide a common voice on legume research.

More about:
- AEP network
- FP7 (the EU framework for research funding, from 2007 to 2013)