The newly established Innovation and Digitalisation Support Unit (hereinafter: ITE) of the AKI held the first meeting of the Hungarian AKIS (Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems) stakeholders on the 5th of June. The event was the first in a series of events aimed at providing information on calls for proposals for innovation and knowledge transfer funded under the CAP, upcoming national and international events in the next semester, and an opportunity to share experiences and lessons learned from previous events of the EU CAP Network.
The first meeting started with a welcome speech by Dr. Pál Goda, Executive Director of AKI, who emphasised that the launch of the ITE is a milestone in the life of AKI, which we have been preparing for years. Following the welcome speech, Lívia Kránitz, Lead Expert of AKI, gave a presentation on the innovation and digitisation activities of the Hungarian CAP Network and the progress of the modernAKIS project, an international partnership, which aims to create a more coherent, efficient and effective AKIS system, similar to the objectives of ITE. In her presentation, she outlined the steps taken to build the network and drew attention to future events and training activities with ITE’s involvement.
Afterwards, Dr. Adrienn Baksa, Head of the Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, presented the AKIS-related funding opportunities, with a focus on the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Operational Groups. Dr. Szabolcs Vágó, AKI’s Director Advisor, then presented the innovation activities of the EU CAP Network. The presentations were followed by testimonials from participants who had attended a previous EU CAP Network event. The enthusiastic feedback and positive experiences confirmed the many benefits of participation, both personal and professional. Finally, a joint reflection and dialogue was launched with the aim of activating the network and to think of solutions and share ideas for multi-stakeholder involvement.
The active participation and commitment of all those present made a significant contribution to the success of the event, which helped to network and increase the knowledge of the actors in the sector. The next meeting of the network will take place in autumn 2024.
