Message from Mr Janusz Wojciechowski to EU CAP Network conference ‘EIP-AGRI Operational Groups: Innovation in practice', Estoril, Portugal.

EIP-AGRI Operational Groups: Innovation in practice

Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests and innovators, and in particular, our EIP-AGRI Innovation Awards nominees.

Good morning, welcome, and ‘bom dia' to you all!

I am sorry I cannot join this exceptional occasion in person, but it is my great pleasure to send you this welcoming message.

I would like to thank Minister Fernandes for organising this conference, along with the EU and Portuguese CAP Networks.

10 years of EIP-AGRI

This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the European Innovation Partnership for productive and sustainable agriculture, so called EIP-AGRI.

It has been 10 years of great achievements and shared success:

• among farmers and rural communities,
• with advisors, researchers, and innovators,
• as well as policy makers and authorities at European, national and regional levels.

Working together, we have built strong bridges between agriculture, research and innovation.

Investing in innovation

This work is now more essential than ever.

There are many different challenges out there, known and unknown, that require brilliant ideas and innovations, and brilliant people, to put these ideas and innovations into practice.

This is where EIP-AGRI can continue to make a difference.

For example, within Horizon Europe, the Operational Groups of EIP-AGRI have helped to identify the most pressing research and innovation needs on the ground.

Thanks to this, our projects are better targeted to farmers, foresters and rural communities, and provide ground-breaking solutions that are ready to use in practice.

For this, and for many other reasons, the Commission wants to support and strengthen the work of EIP-AGRI across Member States.

That is why we are investing in innovation:

• The conditions for financing the Operational Groups under the new CAP have been significantly improved. By December 2023, Member States have reported over 3,400 Operational Group projects to the European Commission's database, and we more expect many more in the years ahead.
• Moreover, the new CAP is supporting Member States to reinforce their Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems, to ensure the latest research and best practices are available to farmers.
• Horizon Europe funding can also bring the EIP-AGRI Operational Groups to the next level, by enabling participation in multi-actor projects, as well as the living labs of our ‘Soil Deal for Europe' Mission and our Partnership on Agro-ecology.

To maximise our efforts, we need to connect – to divide our challenges, and multiply our solutions.

That is why the Commission is supporting stronger co-operation in research and innovation:

• We are funding more than 50 thematic networks that collect, summarise, and share new knowledge and best practices addressing the most urgent needs of farmers and foresters. Horizon funding also supports 5 EU advisory networks, to facilitate exchanges between advisors across the EU on how to best translate science into practice.
• Furthermore, with the help of the EU-FarmBook project, which is there with you today, we are building an EU-wide online platform that will bring together all of the tangible outputs of EU-funded R&I projects.
• Finally, I invite you to exploit all of the networking and communication activities offered by the EU CAP Network and national CAP networks. Today's conference is a perfect example of the value these networks can bring!

Conclusion

All in all, by working together, we are creating new opportunities:

• to harness the power of innovation,
• to empower farmers, foresters and rural communities,
• and to secure a stronger and more sustainable future, for our food system and our society.

For your contribution to this work, I would like to sincerely congratulate and thank you all! By developing innovative solutions to our most pressing challenges, you are making an incredible impact on farmers, foresters and rural communities, and creating a lasting legacy for generations to come.

On that note, I wish you a fruitful conference and I look forward to hearing back about your experiences so far, and recommendations for the future!

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