EU CAP Network conference ‘EIP-AGRI Operational Groups: Innovation in practice’
This report presents the main results of the EU CAP Network conference 'EIP-AGRI Operational Groups: Innovation in practice', which was held from 6 to 8 May 2024 in Estoril, Portugal.
- Portugal
In the 2023-2027 CAP, Operational Group (OG) projects continue to be a key tool for innovation and knowledge exchange. By December 2023, over 3 400 projects were reported in the European Commission’s database, and more projects are expected to be submitted by the end of 2025.
The EU CAP Network conference 'EIP-AGRI Operational Groups: Innovation in practice' was organised to celebrate and showcase these achievements. The event fostered networking and knowledge exchange, aimed to support the next generation of OG projects and incentivised transnational/cross-border OGs.
The conference brought together the best of agricultural and rural innovation in Europe. The main objective of the conference was to highlight the successful implementation of the EIP-AGRI through OG projects as one of its main building blocks, and to learn from this experience to implement projects under the 2023-2027 CAP.
The specific objectives of the conference were to:
- Spotlight and celebrate the achievements of over 3 400 OG projects in the EU.
- Exchange and learn from the experiences of OG projects and boost possibilities to share promising knowledge and innovations developed by OGs.
- Discuss the possibilities, including funding opportunities, to further use and upscale OG outcomes in practice, including from Horizon Europe.
- Discuss challenges and identify good practices that can support the preparation and implementation of OG projects under the 2023-2027 CAP.
- Foster further networking and cooperation for innovation in agriculture, forestry and rural areas, including creating transnational/cross-border OGs.
- Enhance the synergies between the CAP and Horizon Europe for the benefit of OGs.
The conference programme included field visits, plenary sessions with keynote speakers and interactive discussions that showcased tangible stories from relevant OGs. It also included the awards ceremony for the EIP-AGRI Innovation Awards. The event celebrated the establishment of over 3 400 OG projects throughout the EU and created opportunities to network and to further disseminate and upscale project results. In addition, the conference addressed universal issues relevant to the success of OGs, including Horizon Europe opportunities, while discussing challenges and identifying good practices. This helped build upon existing experiences to prepare the future generation of projects.
Author(s)
EU CAP Network
Resources
Documents
Report - EU CAP Network conference ‘EIP-AGRI Operational Groups: Innovation in practice’
(PDF – 22.89 MB)
