ERAfrica aims to reduce the fragmentation of the European Research Area by increasing the coordination between national research programmes across European Union Member States and Associated countries, in close coordination with national research programmes in Africa. The consortium of the project gathers key S&T funding agencies and ministries from Europe and Africa and its actions will result in concrete co-operation between research programmes, such as their networking, mutual opening and the development, funding and implementation of joint activities.The project will establish a long-term framework for communication, collaboration and coordination of programme owners/ managers related to S&T co-operation from Europe and Africa ; reinforce EU-Africa S&T collaboration by promoting joint learning by African and European research programmes owners and managers and identifying relevant instruments to address more effectively the global challenges of sustainable development; develop joint funding schemes and procedures between European and African programme owners aiming at supporting joint activities; strengthen African research capacities and improve the impact of research for development in Africa.Erafrica will consider a broad concept of research for development, including not only the classical topics related to poverty alleviation and the MDGs, but also those related to sustainable development.The implementation of joint activities involving several partners from the project, as well as programme owners/managers who might no be part of the project, is the overall ambition of ERAFRICA. These joint activities will be defined and agreed upon during the first year of the project, thanks to the input from the networking activities implemented during the first year of the ERANET.