The present report looks into the agricultural knowledge base in Europe, how it needs to adapt and how it can contribute to new challenges. Agricultural science being a “systems” science by nature, in order to act it must broaden its scope and become an efficient problemsolving tool. It also needs to keep strong links with the different subject disciplines in order to take advantage of methodological developments in cutting-edge science. The newly relaunched Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR) is a new opportunity to channel discussions on the European agricultural knowledgebase into new research priorities, adding a distinct European view to the present research structure and avoiding the risk of uncoordinated cuts in resources which do not take the European perspective into account.