Since the start of the project, ATTRACTISS has strengthened how innovation is supported in European agriculture. It has helped farmers, advisors, researchers, and public authorities work together more effectively to turn innovative ideas into practical solutions.
1. Guidance for improving and embedding innovation support across Europe
ATTRACTISS developed a shared understanding of what Innovation Support Services (ISS) are and how they help ideas move from the field to real‑world application. This common approach clarifies the key roles of innovation support throughout the innovation process and has been translated into practical learning resources used across Europe. In parallel, the project built a comprehensive overview of innovation support organisations in all Member States, including their focus areas and links to agricultural policy. Together with an action‑oriented guidance framework based on practitioners’ needs, this provides public authorities and coordination bodies with a stronger basis for embedding innovation support more effectively within national agricultural knowledge and innovation systems (AKIS).
2. Expansion of a European innovation support network
The ATTRACTISS network grew to 1,168 members from 38 countries. This community enables exchange of experiences, challenges, and solutions across borders. The AKISConnect online platform supports this network by offering a shared space for discussion, learning, and access to tools. By linking online interaction with regular exchanges between initiatives, ATTRACTISS has reduced fragmentation and strengthened cooperation at European level.
3. Supporting grassroots innovation
A central result of ATTRACTISS is a practical toolbox of 100 innovation generation and support methods and tools, accessible via the AKISConnect platform. These methods and tools help actors identify challenges, generate ideas, work collaboratively, and guide innovation in real‑life contexts. Developed and tested together with practitioners, the toolbox is actively used in training and peer exchanges. This has strengthened the ability of innovation support actors to capture grassroots ideas and support their development into concrete solutions.
4. Strengthening skills and multi‑actor collaboration
ATTRACTISS invested in building the skills needed to support innovation in practice. Through interactive learning formats, innovation support providers improved their capacity to collaborate, facilitate group processes, and manage innovation pathways.
These activities created spaces for dialogue and shared learning between policy, practice, and research, while ongoing peer‑to‑peer exchange through the network supports continued learning beyond individual events.
5. Learning from innovation support activities
To support continuous improvement, ATTRACTISS developed guidance to help innovation support organisations reflect on their work and learn from experience. The focus is on self‑assessment, peer learning, and dialogue rather than rigid measurement. Combined with the expanded overview of innovation support services across Europe, this provides a stronger basis for understanding what works, in which contexts, and how innovation support can be improved over time.
Cross‑cutting impact
Across all activities, ATTRACTISS applied a strong multi‑actor approach and worked closely with other European projects like modernAKIS, EU-FarmBook, PREMIERE, and ClimateSmartAdvisors. This collaboration increased the project’s reach and contributed to a more coherent and connected European innovation landscape.
