01.03.2018

European Focus Groups are temporary groups of 20 experts formed around a specific aspect of the agri-food or forestry sector . These groups aim to study and discuss the main problems faced and to identify and prioritize innovative practices for their resolution.

Its composition is multidisciplinary , being made up of people from the economic subsector in question (end users) and from knowledge centres related to their subject matter (R&D&I centres, advisory bodies, organisations and training centres, etc.), who meet several times to share and summarise knowledge in the best practices specific to the territory, also collecting challenges and opportunities of a specific aspect.

The European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture has launched a call for applications to participate as experts in three new European Focus Groups of the European Innovation Partnership (EIP-Agri):

- New Feeding Methods in Pig and Poultry Farms : seeks to reduce the environmental footprint of this sector by applying the principles of the circular economy and finding alternative ways to produce high-quality feed. Its first meeting will be held on June 7 and 8, 2018.

- Protecting fruit production from frost damage : mitigating and adapting to the effects on open fruit crops resulting from temperature variations, primarily out-of-season frosts, caused by climate change. The first meeting is scheduled for June 27-28, 2018.

- Reducing food waste on farms : considering the farm as a key player in the production chain and, therefore, a key factor in food waste. The focus will be on practices and technology that have the potential to reduce these losses. First meeting of the group, September 12 and 13, 2018.

If you have experience and knowledge in any of these areas and can help find practical solutions to current problems in these sectors, we encourage you to apply to participate as an expert in these AEI-AGRI focus groups by April 3, 2018.

The work of other European Focus Groups can be consulted at the following link .