How to implement effective and efficient agricultural innovation support systems? Some insights from an European cross – country analysis.

The European Innovation Partnership for agricultural productivity and sustainability (EIP-AGRI), which can be perceived as a platform based on interaction among farmers, researchers, and advisors/extensionists, represents a useful tool for a better understanding of applied innovation processes. Grounded in the activities performed within the EU Project Agrispin, in this paper presented at the 12th European IFSA Symposium (Workshop: "Generating spaces for innovation in agricultural and rural development") in 2016, the authors attempt to contribute to the identification of effective and efficient approaches for the implementation of the EIP-AGRI strategy. Specifically, they present some preliminary findings on the functioning of EIP-AGRI system and Operational Groups across five European regions and countries (Italy, Poland, Germany, The Netherlands, and Belgium), by comparing different implementation modalities of the EIP strategies. With this analysis, the aim is to portray the practical implications for agricultural innovation support systems. In addition, the authors interpret the role and the actions undertaken by public authorities in supporting such innovation systems in their regional contexts. Finally, they try to explain the enabling dynamics behind institutional uptake of these innovations into the local public support systems, by addressing the issue of “institutional change” at both regional and local levels.