European affairs

At the heart of the French research-development-innovation system, Acta and the agricultural technical institutes are at the crossroads between targeted research and knowledge transfer: unique characteristics at the European level. 

Actor of Innovation and Agricultural Development on a European scale

Acta plays an important role in the extablishment of the European Research Area (ERA) and in the framework of the European Innovation Partnership (EIP-AGRI), in order to enable the Agricultural Technical Institutes (ITA): 

  • to be part of the European Commission’s support policies, now oriented towards innovation and development actors; 
  • to offer them numerous partnership opportunities.

Participating in the dynamics of Research and Innovation in Europe to improve our impact

Acta and the agricultural technical institutes (ITA), national sector organizations, have always worked within the European Research Area. European Research and Innovation policies and the launch of the European Innovation Partnership – Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (EIP-AGRI) have been characterized since 2014 by an increased emphasis on applied research, perceived as one of the main driver of innovation. Acta and the ITAs, the only structured national applied research network in Europe, are resolutely including their actions in these European dynamics in order to deploy their activities and know-how but also to learn from these partnerships.

Acta’s Europe Directory’s mission is to promote the integration of ITAs into the projects of the 9th Framework Program for Research and Innovation – Horizon Europe – and to this end, it carries out the following actions 

  • Animation of the network of ” European managers “ of the ITAs and of the ” European working group ” of Acta network, in close partnership with Actia network (the French network of technical institutes of the agro-food industry); 
  • Strategic watch on the European programming of Research and Innovation in Agriculture; 
  • Representation of the ITA network to national authorities (Ministry of Agriculture and Food – Sovereignty; Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation – MESRI) and to the European Commission (Directorate General for Agriculture – DG AGRI; Directorate General for Research and Innovation – DG RI); 
  • Animation and management of European partnerships with French actors of Research, Innovation and Development (INRAe, Universities, Competitiveness Clusters, Chambers of Agriculture); 
  • Animation and management of partnerships with European actors in Research, Innovation and Development (Research Institutes, Universities, Companies, NGOs, Consulting Organizations, Ministries and Regions); 
  • Accompaniment of ITAs in setting up Horizon Europe projects (in coordination as well as in partnership) leading to competitive projects meeting the requirements of the European Commission; 
  • Operational management of Horizon Europe projects funded and coordinated by ITAs; 
  • Coordination and participation in Horizon Europe projects; 
  • Communication on the European activities of Acta and the ITA network. 

This European strategy, initiated in 2014 and revised in 2017 and 2020, has enabled the Acta network to achieve notable results over the 2014-2020 programming period, via participation in 76 Horizon 2020 projects. 

For the period 2021-2027, Acta and the ITAs are resolutely committed to the European Research and Innovation policies promoted in 2020 by the “Green Deal” and in particular the “farm to fork” and “biodiversity” strategies, while continuing their strong involvement in the deployment of the “EIP-AGRI” in France and in Europe.