Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ATTRACTISS (AcTivate and TRigger ACTors to deepen the function of Innovation Support Services)
Période du rapport: 2022-10-01 au 2024-03-31
The goal of ATTRACTISS is to improve and embed competencies, approaches, instruments and governance models for Member States (MS) Agricultural and Innovation Systems (AKIS) and specifically for Innovation Support Services (ISS) as a crucial AKIS actor, to enable them accelerating individual grassroots innovative ideas to come to fruition and generating solutions for the transition process to more sustainable agriculture and forestry.
ATTRACTISS aims to
(1) empower ISS and all AKIS actors, through capacity building and provision of effective methods and supportive tools, to discover grassroots innovative ideas and enable uptake in a co-creative way thereby fostering AKIS ecosystem building to support the transition to sustainable and circular agriculture and forestry systems
(2) support Managing Authorities (MA) in all EU MS to organise and monitor efficient support for ISS
(3) provide support for new actors in AKIS processes to better facilitate cocreation approaches involving farming, practitioners & research centres
ATTRACTISS achieves these goals by
(1) setting up an EU wide network for ISSs that allows to connect, develop common understanding, vision and capacities about their roles and functions within the AKIS. This ultimately leads to the development of an ecosystem in favour of Multi-Actor Approaches (MAA) and innovative projects
(2) building upon and giving continuity to other previous initiatives to focus on ISSs and broaden the networks
(3) systematizing the current databases and tools for ISSs to provide a unique virtual location for tools and guidelines to support best practice
(4) providing a step change in the provision of support and training for key actors in MAA and ISS across MS which builds knowledge, understanding & confidence in the practical delivery and benefits of these approaches
(5) enabling institutional dialogue among ISSs & MAs based on enhanced understanding of the potential to organize ISS in a way that will lead to targeted CAP interventions for the integration of ISS within the AKIS
ATTRACTISS aims to
(1) empower ISS and all AKIS actors, through capacity building and provision of effective methods and supportive tools, to discover grassroots innovative ideas and enable uptake in a co-creative way thereby fostering AKIS ecosystem building to support the transition to sustainable and circular agriculture and forestry systems
(2) support Managing Authorities (MA) in all EU MS to organise and monitor efficient support for ISS
(3) provide support for new actors in AKIS processes to better facilitate cocreation approaches involving farming, practitioners & research centres
ATTRACTISS achieves these goals by
(1) setting up an EU wide network for ISSs that allows to connect, develop common understanding, vision and capacities about their roles and functions within the AKIS. This ultimately leads to the development of an ecosystem in favour of Multi-Actor Approaches (MAA) and innovative projects
(2) building upon and giving continuity to other previous initiatives to focus on ISSs and broaden the networks
(3) systematizing the current databases and tools for ISSs to provide a unique virtual location for tools and guidelines to support best practice
(4) providing a step change in the provision of support and training for key actors in MAA and ISS across MS which builds knowledge, understanding & confidence in the practical delivery and benefits of these approaches
(5) enabling institutional dialogue among ISSs & MAs based on enhanced understanding of the potential to organize ISS in a way that will lead to targeted CAP interventions for the integration of ISS within the AKIS
During the first 18 months of the project implementation, ATTRACTISS:
• Delivered a first inventory of Innovation Support Service (ISS) providers. The consortium used inclusive criteria for this initial phase to map and include all actors supporting innovation allowing the study of a wide range of cases to gain an in-depth understanding of the type of services they provide, their scope, and their relevance to the CAP.
• Delivered a first overview of required skills and competencies for ISSs providers (ISS curriculum) to capture grass roots ideas and bring them to fruition. This was based on previous initiatives and projects. We identified existing training courses as well as gaps, to enable ATTRACTISS to provide complete training courses on all aspects of interactive innovation support, including soft skills, from the phase of idea generation to embedding.
• Delivered a first version of the practical handbook for managing authorities, to facilitate understanding and implementation of ISS across EU MS. This will be refined with end-users throughout the project. It offers insights on funding innovation support functions, potential incentives for innovation processes, identifying training needs, and planning precision training to enhance ISS competences. It provides also a monitoring and evaluation framework for effective ISS management.
• Created a network of ISS actors across Europe who will be invited to take part in the ATTRACTISS activities. The network is enrolled in the AKISconnect.eu community platform, cross-fertilized and co-created by partners of the two projects ATTRACTISS and modernAKIS. The community platform has been designed to to inspire, to enhance innovation skills and to share knowledge and practices.
• Developed workshops and DIY-labs to collect and validate innovation generation and support methods and tools, to better discover and capture innovative grassroots ideas from farmers and turn them into realization. An initial set of these tools and methods was added to the AKISconnect.eu community platform.
• Worked on a customised training curriculum focusing on improving skills and capacity to manage knowledge creation, innovation support and results sharing within AKIS. It will be ready for deployment in the coming months.
• Established a multi-actor Focus Group (FG) to co-develop a ready-to-use toolbox for all MS AKIS actors and Managing Authorities for structural knowledge exchange to support innovation processes and ISSs.
• Delivered a first inventory of Innovation Support Service (ISS) providers. The consortium used inclusive criteria for this initial phase to map and include all actors supporting innovation allowing the study of a wide range of cases to gain an in-depth understanding of the type of services they provide, their scope, and their relevance to the CAP.
• Delivered a first overview of required skills and competencies for ISSs providers (ISS curriculum) to capture grass roots ideas and bring them to fruition. This was based on previous initiatives and projects. We identified existing training courses as well as gaps, to enable ATTRACTISS to provide complete training courses on all aspects of interactive innovation support, including soft skills, from the phase of idea generation to embedding.
• Delivered a first version of the practical handbook for managing authorities, to facilitate understanding and implementation of ISS across EU MS. This will be refined with end-users throughout the project. It offers insights on funding innovation support functions, potential incentives for innovation processes, identifying training needs, and planning precision training to enhance ISS competences. It provides also a monitoring and evaluation framework for effective ISS management.
• Created a network of ISS actors across Europe who will be invited to take part in the ATTRACTISS activities. The network is enrolled in the AKISconnect.eu community platform, cross-fertilized and co-created by partners of the two projects ATTRACTISS and modernAKIS. The community platform has been designed to to inspire, to enhance innovation skills and to share knowledge and practices.
• Developed workshops and DIY-labs to collect and validate innovation generation and support methods and tools, to better discover and capture innovative grassroots ideas from farmers and turn them into realization. An initial set of these tools and methods was added to the AKISconnect.eu community platform.
• Worked on a customised training curriculum focusing on improving skills and capacity to manage knowledge creation, innovation support and results sharing within AKIS. It will be ready for deployment in the coming months.
• Established a multi-actor Focus Group (FG) to co-develop a ready-to-use toolbox for all MS AKIS actors and Managing Authorities for structural knowledge exchange to support innovation processes and ISSs.
During the first 18 months of the project implementation, ATTRACTISS:
• Prepared and delivered a common networking platform (akisconnect.eu) with the modernAKIS project. This platform serves as a training, information and networking opportunity for the AKIS community of both projects as well as an open digital knowledge repository. Therein both projects feed AKIS supporting content like (policy-based) practices for a well-working AKIS including ways to integrate advisors in AKIS, a toolbox for Innovation Support Services as well as extensive networking opportunities and events.
• Built a network of more than 800 actors from all EU Member States with the modernAKIS project, and established a series of capacity and networking events with broad participation from key AKIS actors.
• Built upon and gave continuity to previous initiatives (e.g. i2connect, Agrilink, AgriSpin) to focus more the specificity of ISSs: skils and competencies of ISS providers, training curriculum, innovation generation and support methods and tools.
• Enabled institutional dialogue among ISSs and public authorities based on enhanced understanding and greater recognition of the potential for multi-actor approach and ISS to respond to the challenges we face, by establishing a multi-actor Focus Group and delivering a first practical handbook for Managing Authorities.
• Prepared and delivered a common networking platform (akisconnect.eu) with the modernAKIS project. This platform serves as a training, information and networking opportunity for the AKIS community of both projects as well as an open digital knowledge repository. Therein both projects feed AKIS supporting content like (policy-based) practices for a well-working AKIS including ways to integrate advisors in AKIS, a toolbox for Innovation Support Services as well as extensive networking opportunities and events.
• Built a network of more than 800 actors from all EU Member States with the modernAKIS project, and established a series of capacity and networking events with broad participation from key AKIS actors.
• Built upon and gave continuity to previous initiatives (e.g. i2connect, Agrilink, AgriSpin) to focus more the specificity of ISSs: skils and competencies of ISS providers, training curriculum, innovation generation and support methods and tools.
• Enabled institutional dialogue among ISSs and public authorities based on enhanced understanding and greater recognition of the potential for multi-actor approach and ISS to respond to the challenges we face, by establishing a multi-actor Focus Group and delivering a first practical handbook for Managing Authorities.