Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EURAKNOS (Connecting Thematic Networks as Knowledge Reservoirs: towards a European Agricultural Knowledge Innovation Open Source System) Reporting period: 2020-01-01 to 2021-03-31 Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project EURAKNOS has developed the concept of an EU-wide open-source agricultural database in order to facilitate the sharing of information that can help Europe in the transition towards more sustainable agriculture and forestry.The starting point of the project was the belief that the future of innovation in European agriculture and forestry is based on the improved (digital) exchange of best practices between farmers, researchers, and advisors, from different agriculture and forestry sectors and Member States.Thematic Networks (TN), a type of EU funded projects with strong links with the European Innovation Partnership (EIP-AGRI), can be a core mechanism for this knowledge exchange. These networks collect, share and present practical knowledge in an agriculture- or a forestry-related thematic area. Most TNs have their own knowledge databases or knowledge reservoirs that are related, but not interconnected. EURAKNOS found that these projects often focus only on sector-specific issues, leaving crucial cross-sectoral needs unaddressed. If stimulated to combine their competencies and focus on the most urgent needs of farmers and foresters, Thematic Networks have the potential to spread much more practical information, which is urgently needed to move to a more sustainable agriculture and forestry in the EU.EURAKNOS facilitated and supported Thematic Networks by helping to build a project community in order to stimulate cross-sectoral exchange, thereby connecting and extending the networks. An EU-wide open-source agricultural database can greatly enhance the sharing of innovative knowledge, materials, and tools with the broader agricultural society. Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far EURAKNOS investigated in depth the structure and procedures of Thematic Networks (TN) and the knowledge they collect and exchange, which had not been analysed previously. The project identified and validated best practices and methodologies used in TN projects through participatory workshops with a dedicated multi-actor expert panel consisting of about 50 TN coordinators, advisors, farmers, foresters, policy makers, researchers, as well as representatives from chambers of agriculture, industry, SMEs, and NGOs.During the EURAKNOS project, 17 cross-exchange visits between different TNs and other EIP-AGRI initiatives were organised at different levels to share and discuss views and results. The focus was to share best practices to implement these networks and how and to link with groups of actors active in the EIP-AGRI (Operational Groups). Much of the output of these cross-exchanges, was captured in short, easy-to-read documents known as “Practice Abstracts”. To share the messages and results of these exchanges with a wider community of actors, five videos, 50 podcasts, and more than 30 news items were released by the project. To support the work of TNs, guidelines on how to improve the multi-actor approach in Europe were established and made widely available in the EURAKNOS TN Explorer’s Guide on 'How to design and implement Thematic Networks to maximise user engagement and impact'.The guide contains key insights from this community of practice, written for a particular use by future coordinators and consortium members of Thematic Networks. It charts the course for a harmonised approach on how to make a high impact knowledge reservoir and for conducting future multi-actor projects efficiently and effectively. The guide is available in several languages. Additionally, a vision paper on high-impact Knowledge Reservoirs plus a policy brief with recommendations to enhance the sustainability and impact of Thematic Networks were published.The ultimate aim of EURAKNOS was to take the insights from the cross-exchange visits, surveys, in-depth interviews and other project workshops, and incorporate them into the first prototype of a web-based, user-friendly database and platform – the EU FarmBook. This platform was built to allow farmers, foresters, and advisors have easier access to content produced by other projects. These users were involved in the project, providing critical feedback and insights on the content, format, and added value of the work generated by Thematic Networks and the EURAKNOS project. A total of 790 knowledge objects (e.g. videos, documents, presentations, audio files, images) produced by Horizon 2020 TN projects were collected for upload in the EU FarmBook. By delivering the concept for the prototype of the EU FarmBook, EURAKNOS showed that an EU-wide open-source agricultural knowledge innovation database with readily applicable knowledge for the end-user is feasible. Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far) EURAKNOS has laid the foundation for a central, EU-wide agriculture and forestry digital knowledge platform. The EU FarmBook concept, which has been handed over and is being continued in the follow-up EU funded project EUREKA, will test a full-scale version of the FarmBook with users from all regions of Europe. The utilization of FAIR data principles and structured websites for easy access and exploitation of data by both human and machine agents will offer solutions towards the interoperability of TN data platforms and definitely help Europe in the transition towards more sustainable agriculture and forestry.By communicating not only about its own progress but also about that of other Thematic Networks, EURAKNOS helped to connect Thematic Networks, and thereby contributed to increased learning between projects. This in turn enhances their efficiency and widens uptake of results and, in the long term, the promotion of sustainable agriculture and forestry. EURAKNOS in pictures
