i2connect – Connecting advisers to boost interactive innovation in agriculture and forestry

The strategy in i2connect is to use the existing advisor networks and the experiences of success in different contexts to create a broader network and momentum of change enabling a new culture of bottom-up led innovation support. This resource of over 40000 advisors are critical actors supporting agriculture and forestry on the ground and must be influenced in this project to support interactively innovation with particular emphasis on EIP-AGRI 2020 target of 3500 operational groups and beyond.

An inventory will be made of the current state of advisory practices in Europe. Best Practices throughout Europe will be analysed in an interactive way to guide the development of approaches and tools, and to be studied as part of the training program for advisors. A pool of trainers will be trained to work with these materials in training and coaching advisors. Some advisors may join cross visit teams for studying interesting cases abroad. 

Attention will also be given to the ‘enabling environment’: ways in which managers of advisory services, research actors, policy makers and others can create conditions. These activities feed into a professional network with many local branches, supported by the project through a moderated online platform for mutual coaching, sharing experiences. Read more about the project activities on i2connect website.

i2connect brings together 32 organizations (beneficiaries and third parties). See the detailed composition of the consortium and budget on the EU website.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 863039.