What is the Multi-actor approach (MAA)?
The multi-actor approach refers to a form research and innovation (R&I) that is interactive, transdisciplinary and responsible. This approach aims to:
- introduce co-creation and increase inclusiveness in the R&I process, thereby making sure its outcomes are more co-owned, reliable, demand-driven and relevant to society.
- promote the dissemination of R&I outcomes and the implementation of practice, which entails more than just widely disseminating the projects’ results or listening to the views of a board of stakeholders.
A multi-actor project ensures the genuine and sufficient involvement of a targeted array of key stakeholders in co-creation, which serves the objectives of the project proposal.
Who can be considered as actors in a Multi-actor approach project?
Key actors include:
- researchers,
- farmers / farmers' groups and associations,
- foresters / foresters’ groups and associations,
- aquaculture producers,
- fishers / fishers’ groups and associations,
- advisors,
- food and bioeconomy businesses,
- other businesses,
- consumer associations,
- local communities,
- citizens,
- civil society organisations including NGOs and social economy actors, and
- government representatives.
Selection process and role
The selection of the relevant key actors participating relies on the objective(s) of the proposal that are based on the needs of the (end-)users of the project results.
The “(end-) user” of project results is a person who will use the project results. These results are backed up by any other useful intermediaries and actors who can contribute with further expertise and innovative ideas relevant to the topic’s objectives, and support communication and dissemination.
The genuine and sufficient involvement of such actors should take place over the whole course of the project:
- from participation in the development of the project idea,
- planning and experiments to implementation,
- communication and dissemination of results, and
- to a possible demonstration phase.
Co-creation process
The building blocks for the project proposal are expected to have a scientific basis as well as real-life experience: It is a ‘co-creation’ process. (End-)users are involved in the project activities not as a study-object, but to use their practical and local knowledge and/or entrepreneurial skills to develop solutions and to share ‘co-ownership’ of results for (end-)users. This should speed and scale up the acceptability and uptake of new ideas, approaches and solutions developed as part of the project in practice.
Multi-actor project requirements
A multi-actor project has to meet are seven requirements:
- Description
It must demonstrate how the description of the project concept, including the proposed objectives, activities and planning, are targeting the needs/challenges/opportunities for the (end-)users of the project results. - Composition
It must demonstrate how the composition of the consortium fits into the project concept and reflects a balanced choice of relevant actors who have complementary types of knowledge (scientific, practical, etc.) and skills to achieve the project objective, and to ensure that project results are ready for practice and broadly implemented. - Existing practice
It must demonstrate how the project intends to use existing practices and tacit knowledge. This should be illustrated in the proposal methodology with a sufficient number of high-quality knowledge exchange activities outlining the precise and active roles of the different, relevant non-scientific actors in the co-creation and sharing of R&I content. The cross-fertilisation of skills, experiences, competencies and ideas between actors should generate innovative findings and solutions that are more likely to be widely applied in practice. - Multi-actor engagement
It must demonstrate how the project will facilitate the multi-actor engagement process by making use of the most appropriate methods and expertise and what mechanisms the project will set up to maintain engagement of different, relevant actors, in particular non-scientific actors, during the whole project lifecycle. - Project added value
It must demonstrate the project's added-value for the (end-)users: how it will complement and advance state-of-the-art and existing knowledge and best practices. - Practical and ready to use knowledge
It must demonstrate how the project will result in practical and ready to use knowledge, solutions, approaches, tools, products, processes or services that are easily understandable and accessible for (end-)users. - Dissemination of practices
It must demonstrate how these results ready for practice will be widely and effectively disseminated, and feed into the existing dissemination channels most consulted and trusted by the (end-)users of the project results in countries and regions.
Ensuring Europe-wide communication and dissemination
To ensure Europe-wide communication and dissemination in all areas related to the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-AGRI) and the common agricultural policy (CAP) specific objectives, in particular agriculture, forestry and rural development, the new knowledge and innovation generated by the multi-actor projects must be summarised in an appropriate number of ‘practice abstracts’ in the common EIP-AGRI format for Horizon.
The number of ‘practice abstracts’ depends on the size of the project and the volume of results which are ready to be applied in practice. The ‘practice abstracts’ stemming from Horizon Europe projects should be uploaded to the EIP-AGRI project database using a dedicated online form from the EU CAP Network (PDF).
For areas falling outside the remit of EIP-AGRI and CAP specific objectives, other similarly effective solutions ensuring dissemination at European level should be sought.
More information
Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 on support for CAP Strategic Plans