What's new about the updated innovation guidelines?

Do you work for a Managing Authority currently developing a rural development programme? Are you in charge of the innovation measures?

Then you will be interested to know that the European Commission has just published the updated version of the guidelines on programming innovation and on implementing the EIP-AGRI.

This document has been restructured to make it more readable. The text has been completed and detailed on some critical points, building on the dialogue with Managing Authorities and multipliers which took place at the EIP-AGRI regional workshops.

In this new version you will find:

• A more comprehensive definition of what is innovation under the EIP-AGRI
• A separate section on Operational Groups, with elements on beneficiaries for higher aid intensities, how to make applications for preparing operational groups projects, options for cross-border Operational Groups, formats for results dissemination
• A new section on EIP-AGRI networking, with a separate heading on EIP Focus Groups
• Elements on facilitation of operational group projects
• Additional options for supporting innovation support services and innovation brokering and for using networks for operational group development
• A more visible separate section on selection criteria for operational groups under the heading 'Calls'
• More elements on the organisation of calls, especially with regard to the organisation of open calls all along the year and to the combination of calls on specific themes with an open part allowing bottom-up ideas or cross-border actions