Scientific evidence and local knowledge are invaluable resources for supporting policy makers in the development of modern policies for rural areas for the programming period 2021-2027 and beyond. The EU-funded SHERPA project aims to create long-lasting science-society-policy interfaces that engage in developing policy recommendations at European, national and regional levels, and in designing concrete proposals for future research agendas that fill knowledge gaps and meet the needs of rural actors. SHERPA will gather relevant knowledge and use results of past and present research projects (from FP6, FP7, H2020 and other funding streams) to engage stakeholders in discussions in 40 Multi-Actor Platforms (MAPs) around 20 EU countries, and at EU level. SHERPA’s implementation approach will follow four guiding principles: flexible programming of activities to enable timely and responsive contributions to policy making, impartiality and transparency; recognition of the diversity of EU rural territories and multi-level interactions; and co-construction.