Innovation, knowledge exchange and EIP-AGRI

To drive innovation, knowledge exchange and EIP-AGRI, the EU CAP Network facilitates collaboration among all those with a keen interest in sharing knowledge and innovative ideas for sustainable agriculture, forestry and rural areas.

Connecting and inspiring innovators across the EU

Innovation & knowledge exchange - main activities

The EU CAP Network fosters innovation, knowledge exchange and EIP-AGRI to inform, engage, connect and inspire innovators across Europe through the following services:

Networking activities that connect interested parties from practice and research to foster knowledge exchange and innovation. This includes Focus Groups, workshops and seminars, cross-visits between innovative projects, and brokerage events.
Informing, inspiring and sharing innovation through publications, a monthly newsletter, an annual magazine, social media, and press releases.
Collecting and analysing information on Operational Groups and EU-funded research and innovation projects, to identify potential synergies and opportunities for collaboration, and to foster possibilities for networking and matchmaking to set up future project partnerships.
Gathering needs from practice for further research, feeding into the research agenda at EU and national level, to help close the gap between research and practice.
A helpdesk to answer your questions.

These activities are carried out by the EU CAP Network’s Support Facility for innovation, knowledge exchange and EIP-AGRI.

Spotlight

AKIS

Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) connect people and strengthen knowledge and innovation flows across Europe.

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Digitalisation

Be inspired by digital technologies and innovative projects for the farming and forestry community and find out how to improve your digital knowledge and skills.

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Inspirational ideas

Find good practices and inspirational ideas from across the EU.

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About EIP-AGRI projects

Learn more about EIP-AGRI Operational Groups, Horizon multi-actor projects, and other innovative projects that boost innovation in agriculture, forestry and rural areas.

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Focus Groups

Focus Groups take stock of challenges, opportunities, and innovative solutions for specific topics from EU agriculture, forestry and rural areas.

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Newsletter on innovation, knowledge exchange and EIP-AGRI

Read or subscribe to the monthly newsletter to stay updated on news, events, inspirational ideas, funding opportunities, publications, networking possibilities and more.

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Inspiring networking events on innovation, knowledge exchange and EIP-AGRI

Between July 2024 and June 2025, the EU CAP Network is organising 13 networking events with a focus on innovation, knowledge exchange and EIP-AGRI. This includes three Focus Groups, two seminars, three workshops, three cross-visits between Operational Groups, an ad-hoc expert meeting, and a brokerage event. Topics include 'robotics and AI’, innovation in logistics’, ‘circular bioeconomy’, ‘on-farm demonstrations’ and more.

Subscribe to the newsflash to stay updated on new calls for participation in upcoming networking events.

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English language

EU CAP Network - Support Facility - Overview events

(PDF – 783.79 KB)

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Upcoming events

Focus Group 'Alternative solutions for livestock product differentiation' - 2nd meeting

Innovation, knowledge exchange & EIP-AGRI

09-10 Apr 2025

Digitalisation, Food Supply Chain (+1) In-person

Vienna, Austria

EU CAP Network

Cross-visit

FOREST4EU European Horizon project - Study Visits 2025

Innovation, knowledge exchange & EIP-AGRI

22-23 Apr-Jun 2025

Forestry, Fostering Knowledge & Innovation In-person GIS, Slovenian Forestry Institute (ITHub 1)

All upcoming events

Latest publications

Read and download EU CAP Network brochures, factsheets, event reports, magazines and press releases, or watch inspiring videos that highlight innovation and knowledge exchange for EU agriculture, forestry and rural communities.

Magazines | 11 Apr 2024

Agrinnovation Magazine - Issue 10

The tenth issue of the Agrinnovation magazine highlights innovative solutions for the sustainable and circular use of natural resources in agriculture, forestry and rural communities.

Innovation, knowledge exchange & EIP-AGRI

Fostering Knowledge & Innovation, Sustainability (+1)

Press Articles | 14 Mar 2025

Robotics and artificial intelligence in farming and forestry

Satellite-assisted robots to tackle weed and increase the productivity and sustainability of dairy farming.

Innovation, knowledge exchange & EIP-AGRI

Agricultural Productivity, Research & Innovation (+2)

Brochure - Operational Groups: Innovation in practice

Brochures | 25 Nov 2024

EIP-AGRI Innovation Awards 2024

Since 2012, over 3 400 EIP-AGRI Operational Group projects (OGs) have contributed to higher productivity and sustainability in EU agriculture, forestry, and rural areas. This brochure highlights the outstanding OGs that were nominated and celebrated at the EIP-AGRI Innovation Awards 2024.

Innovation, knowledge exchange & EIP-AGRI

Fostering Knowledge & Innovation, Agricultural Productivity (+1)

EIP-AGRI explained

The European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-AGRI) was launched by the European Commission in 2012 as one of five EIPs. EIP-AGRI was designed as a tool to speed up innovation in EU agriculture and forestry, by linking existing policies and instruments.

EIP-AGRI connects farmers, foresters, advisors, researchers, business representatives, environmental groups and many other experts and innovators to boost innovation and knowledge exchange across EU agriculture, forestry and rural areas. It does so by funding interactive innovation projects, including CAP-funded Operational Group projects, and Horizon multi-actor projects funded under the EU research and innovation framework programme.

From 2013 until 2022, an EU-wide ‘EIP-AGRI network’ supported EIP-AGRI activities through communication, networking, and dissemination, in collaboration with national and regional EIP-AGRI networks and rural networks. Since October 2022, the EIP-AGRI network has merged into the EU CAP Network.

Focusing on innovation, knowledge exchange and EIP-AGRI, the EU CAP Network connects people from research and practice at networking events, and shares innovative, practice-oriented results and outcomes from innovation projects, for instance through the EIP-AGRI project database. Besides its overall contribution to speeding up innovation, it contributes to bridging science and practice, and helps ensure that innovative solutions, generated by and for farmers, foresters and rural communities, are spread and taken up widely and more easily across the EU.

Building bridges between research and practice by funding innovation projects

The Common Agricultural Policy and the Horizon Research and Innovation programme both offer funding to set up interactive innovation projects and tools across Europe. This funding supports CAP-funded EIP-AGRI Operational Groups and Horizon multi-actor projects, including thematic and advisory networks.

While Operational Group projects are funded under the CAP, and work at national, regional or local level, EU-wide projects funded under the Horizon research policy need to involve partners from at least three European countries. EIP-AGRI identifies synergies and opportunities for collaboration between CAP-funded and Horizon-funded projects to develop innovative solutions that can easily be taken up in the field of EU agriculture, forestry and rural development. The EIP-AGRI concept is exceptional because it builds bridges between both policies.

Learn more about Horizon Europe Learn more about Operational Groups