Seminar ‘Programming Innovation in Rural Development’ - facilitator's report

The benefits of closer collaboration between farmers and the scientific community are well understood, but a huge gap exists in most EU Member States between research and farming practice. The aim of the EIP on Agricultural Sustainability and Productivity is to help close this gap by providing an effective working interface between researchers, farmers and other relevant rural stakeholders with a number of specific tools available for facilitating active interaction and the sharing of innovation-relevant knowledge. Two EU policies are central to implementation of the EIP in the coming years: 2014-2020 Rural Development Policy and EU Research and Innovation Policy ('Horizon2020'). On 26 – 27 June 2013, DG Agriculture and Rural Development invited national / regional Managing Authorities to a technical seminar in Madrid specifically to discuss how to use the measures in the 2014-2020 Rural Development Policy tool-kit most effectively for the programming and implementation of the EIP. The meeting was organised by the EIP AGRI Service Point and was hosted by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment. The seminar had four objectives: 1. To improve understanding of the guidelines and legal provisions for the EIP 2. To help take stock of ‘who is where’ in EIP programming issues 3. To learn about some models of implementation which could serve as examples for programming 4. To facilitate mutual learning and exchange of ideas between the participants