Innovation & knowledge exchange | EIP-AGRI

The ‘Support Facility for Innovation and Knowledge exchange including EIP-AGRI’ is a key part of the EU CAP Network. Its role is to facilitate communication and cooperation between those with a keen interest in sharing knowledge and innovative ideas for sustainable agriculture, forestry and rural areas.  

It connects farmers, foresters, advisors, researchers, business representatives, environmental groups, NGOs, consumer interest groups and other innovators in the EU CAP Network. Its ultimate aim is to help build up robust flows of knowledge and speed up innovation in agriculture, forestry and rural areas.  

The EIP-AGRI Support Facility’s activities cover all nine specific CAP objectives as well as the cross-cutting objective of ‘modernising agriculture and rural areas by fostering and sharing knowledge, innovation and digitalisation’. They connect research and practice, bringing together people and different types of innovative multi-actor projects.  

Efforts to promote innovation and knowledge exchange: 

• help build effective Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) across the EU; 
• foster smart and resilient agricultural, forestry and rural sectors, and ensure food security; 
• reinforce environmental care and climate action;
• strengthen the socio-economic fabric of rural areas. 

The Support Facility for Innovation and Knowledge exchange including EIP-AGRI informs, engages and inspires innovators across Europe through the following services: 

• A helpdesk, answering your questions. 
• Networking activities to connect interested parties from research and practice, to foster knowledge exchange and innovation. This includes EIP-AGRI Focus Groups, workshops and seminars, cross-visits between projects and brokerage activities. 
• Identifying synergies and opportunities for collaboration between projects; contributing to closing the gap between research and practice. 
• Informing, inspiring and sharing innovation through publications, a newsletter, an annual magazine, social media and the press.