LIAISON aims to make a significant and meaningful contribution to optimising interactive innovation project approaches and the delivery of EU policies to speed up innovation in agriculture, forestry and rural areas. Researchers, policy advisors, actors from interactive innovation projects, initiatives and networks, farm/forestry advisors, decision-makers and administrators will jointly investigate the design and implementation of interactive innovation project approaches. Looking with the eyes of a larger number of interactive innovation initiatives we will assess the infrastructure of H2020 and Rural Development Programmes at the project, national and European levels. Central in the project are a 'light-touch' review of the experiences in 200 projects and initiatives, and an in-depth assessment of 32 interactive innovation project approaches in a broad range of agricultural and forestry sub-sectors and countries. We will present the diversity of projects and practices through an online 'story map' with entries from all over Europe and select 15 practitioners from innovation projects who will contribute to the project's analyses and outcomes. LIAISON will produce practice-ready methods, protocols and tools, co-designed in processes involving the target users themselves. These include participatory tools for co-creation and co-learning, for networking, communication and dissemination, impact assessment tools, and methodologies and tools for self-evaluation. An Interactive Online System will help innovation actors to access these. LIAISON will develop detailed best practices and approaches for H2020 multi-actor projects, Thematic Networks, Operational Groups and other interactive innovation approaches that contribute to the implementation of EIP-Agri. All project outputs generated by LIAISON will be subject to a process of validation and fine-tuning based upon practical peer-review by consortium members and other closely involved actors and stakeholders.

Poultry sector is one of the main agricultural production in Europe, providing 15.2M tonnes of poultry meat and over 7.5 M tonnes of eggs in 2018, with a 21.2 billion € turnover in poultry meat in 2015 and 960 M€ worth of eggs in 2016.It is also a very sensitive sector regarding epidemics, that can impact the sector economics (e.g. 2015 and 2017 episodes of Avian Influenza). and also foodborne pathogens (Salmonella, Campylobacter…) that may have an impact on public health. Biosecurity is acknowledged as the appropriate answer for preventing diseases spread and safeguarding competitive and sustainable poultry farms. Best practices are known all over Europe but compliance of farmers and other operators (e.g. transport, hatcheries…) to biosecurity may not be optimum. Stakeholders need to be supported for effectively implement biosecurity practices. NETPOULSAFE aims to improve biosecurity compliance in poultry farming by compiling, validating and sharing supporting measures implemented or close to being into practice in 7 large poultry producing countries, thanks to a network of 7 National Poultry AKIS. These multi-actor groups, gathering around 500 people, will be chaired and interconnected through Network Facilitators who will stimulate knowledge cross-fertilisation and exchange both at National and EU scales. Supporting measures will be collected from field and literature and analysed from technical and socio-economic point of view to be either validated in pilot farms or directly disseminated to farmers, operators and advisors (incl. vets). In-depth analysis of National contexts will enable to define tailored dissemination strategies. Material (incl. audio-visuals, factsheets, Practice Abstracts, e-learning modules) will be co-constructed with the National Poultry AKIS to ensure its acceptance and shared through most consulted channels and dedicated platform. Synergies with on-going activities, especially EIP-AGRI Operational Groups, will increase project impacts.

The European Fruit Network (EUFRUIT) includes 12 countries focussed on 4 thematic areas of critical for the competiveness and innovation potential of the European Fruit sector: i) new cultivar development and evaluation; ii) minimise residues on fruit and the environment; iii) optimising storage and fruit quality; iv) sustainable production systems. EUFRUIT will coordinate and support innovation through developing a framework for relevant stakeholders and it will establish a systematic approach for knowledge gathering and dissemination. The systematic approach includes: i) scanning & synthesis via 4 expert groups who scan state-of-art knowledge, practises and technologies and synthesise the material to identify key areas of learning and best practise approaches at a European level. ii) showing & sharing will deliver outreach/dialogue at a national level through establishment of local ‘operational groups’. An online Knowledge Platform will hold all outreach material, outreach activities include; 100 industry publications, 90 technical bulletins, 25 flyers/newsletters, 60 seminars, 160 field based meetings, 25 conference plus 12 events aimed at the general public. iii) sustaining the network will occur through long-term integration of the assembled EUFRUIT network in future actions. The overall outcome of EUFRUIT will be establishment of a framework and a systematic approach that together builds a bridge across the ‘valley of death’. This bridge will secure a direct path for new knowledge in the future and reduce the likelihood of repetition of research at a national level. The European fruit sector will have ready access to up-to-date information to implement and value will be created both for the industry with respect to competitiveness, sustainability and efficiency and society through ensuring the security and safety of fruit; underpinning human health and wellbeing.