Cooperation for Innovation Grants

Objetive

PEPAC grants (EAFRD funds) relating to interventions 7161 and 7162, for cooperation for the development of innovative projects in the agri-food and wood value chains.

Intervention 7161 aims to support the creation of the Operational Groups (OG) of the European Agricultural Innovation Partnership (AEI Agri) in the implementation of innovative projects to accelerate innovation in the agri-food and forestry sector and to respond to the needs for modernisation of the primary sector by fostering knowledge exchange, innovation and digitisation of agriculture and rural areas and promoting the adoption of these approaches. The GOs are therefore aimed at the productivity and sustainability of agri-food and forestry, focusing on the productive link as a lever for change towards the green and digital transition of both the primary sector and rural areas.
The AEI Agri Operational Groups are one of the main support instruments available to the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS) to achieve the cross-cutting objective of the PEPAC and, therefore, they must respond to the needs related to this objective.

Intervention 7162 aims to support the creation of Cooperation Groups (CGs) to promote innovative cooperation initiatives, which will not be within the Agri EIP. The projects of the CGs must be aimed at intentionally changing the contextual conditions, especially those that are limiting the modernisation of the primary sector and rural areas and the full achievement of the specific objectives of the CAP.

Targeting

Both the EIP Agri Operational Groups (OG) and the Cooperation Groups (CG) are aimed at any natural or legal person, including public administrations that, in cooperation, wish to form part of a working consortium to implement pilot innovation projects that respond to the modernisation needs of the primary sector and rural areas.

In the case of EIP Agri Operational Groups (OG), the participation in the consortium of a representative of the productive primary sector is compulsory.

OG and CG consortia must be made up of at least three partner entities with no organic or functional relations between them. And the figure of the Dynamisation Agent is compulsory, who may form part of the consortium or be a contracted third party.

Cooperation will not be supported in groups (OG and CG) in which only research organisations participate.

Description

OGs are innovation partnership groupings and should therefore explain the added value of cooperation between actors to achieve the envisaged objectives, as well as describe where the proposed innovation lies, both in product (good or service) and process (including, inter alia, new forms of production, logistics, organisation, people, marketing, etc.).
The OGs must respond to the cross-cutting objective of the CAP for the modernisation of the primary sector and rural areas and to one or more of the specific objectives of the CAP.
The innovation project should be based on the interactive innovation model whose key principles are the following:
(a) developing innovative solutions that focus on the needs of farmers or forest holders while addressing interactions in the whole supply chain, where appropriate;
(b) bringing together partners with complementary expertise, such as farmers, advisors, researchers, companies or non-governmental organisations, in the specific combination that is best suited to achieve the project objectives, and
(c) joint decision-making and creation throughout the project.
The innovation envisaged may be based on new but also traditional practices in a new geographical or environmental context.

For their part, the CGs promote the creation of the necessary framework conditions for agricultural modernisation,
agri-food and rural modernisation. They should respond to at least one of the following CAP objectives:
– Improving market orientation and increasing the competitiveness of farms, in the short and long term, also by paying greater attention to research, technology and digitisation.
– Improving the position of the farmer in the value chain.
– Contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation, also by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving carbon sequestration, as well as promoting sustainable energy.
– Promote sustainable development and efficient management of natural resources such as water, soil and air, in particular by reducing chemical dependency.
– Contribute to halting and reversing biodiversity loss, enhancing ecosystem services and conserving habitats and landscapes.
– Promote employment, growth, gender equality, including women’s participation in agriculture, social inclusion and local development in rural areas, including the circular bioeconomy and sustainable forestry.

– Improving the response of EU agriculture to societal demands for food and health, in particular for good quality, safe and nutritious food produced in a sustainable way, reducing food waste, as well as improving animal welfare and combating antimicrobial resistance.
– Modernise, across the board, the sector by promoting and sharing knowledge, innovation and digitalisation in agriculture and rural areas, and encouraging their uptake.

Grant type

Grant