AKIS Spain
The AKIS represents the variety of a large number of individual agents, organizations and institutions and develops according to the customs, productive vocations and standards of a territory.
The AKIS in Spain considers the existing structures and foresees the reinforcement of knowledge flows between public and private agents represented by central and local authorities, knowledge generation centres, training and capacity building organisations, industry, collaborative thematic structures, organisations in the agricultural sector, and people who carry out agricultural activities. The graph shows the relationships between public administrations, research institutions, sector organisations, companies and people dedicated to agriculture and livestock.
PEPAC 2023 interventions related to AKIS:
- Support for innovative AEI-AGRI Operational Groups. A total national investment of approximately €168 million will be allocated to this measure.
- Cooperation not related to AEI-AGRI. A total national investment of approximately €34 million will be allocated to this measure.
- Training aid packages. A total national investment of approximately €81 million will be allocated to this measure.
- Advisory support packages. A total national investment of approximately €105 million will be allocated to this measure.
National Network of the CAP
- Events
- Exchange platforms
Other initiatives:
- Youth stay programs (CULTIVA).
- Continuing education plan for rural technicians . Access to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food's online courses campus
AKIS Coordinating Body in Spain
To strengthen and adapt the AKIS in Spain, a multi-level governance structure (AKIS Coordination Body) has been established, which involves the effective implementation of different mechanisms of collaboration, cooperation and coordination, not only between Public Administrations, but between these and the agri-food sector as a whole (value chain, consumer, service companies, etc.), which is coordinated at different levels.
In this CAP period 2023-2027 , all Member States must have a coordinating body for their Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System as a contact point for all AKI-SCIA-related issues before the European Commission and within the Member State itself. This body must cooperate with the multiple actors belonging to the system at all geographical levels of the country, monitoring CAP interventions related to AKI-SCIA-related, and supporting the implementation of the CAP strategic plan.
In Spain, the AKIS Coordination Body is created by art. 7 of Royal Decree 1046/2022, of December 27, which regulates the governance of the Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy of Spain (PEPAC) and the European agricultural funds FEAGA and EAFRD and establishes its structure and functions in Royal Decree 116/2024 , of January 30, which regulates the coordination body of the Knowledge and Innovation System in Agriculture.
It is co-chaired by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, with the aim of stimulating the maximum possible coordination and synergy between agricultural policy and science, technology and innovation policy, so that scientific research is placed at the service of sectoral needs.
It is a multi-level body with broad representation that includes not only the Public Administrations responsible for the matter, both regional and central, but also the agri-food sector in its broadest version (value chain, consumer, service companies, official associations, advisory entities, technological platforms, etc.).
The AKIS Coordinating Body acts as an umbrella for the governance structure and is the unit for coordination with the other AKIS actors, as well as for communication with the European Commission on all issues related to the AKIS. The activities of the Body are grouped into the following functions :
- Transmission chain between the knowledge and production sectors.
- Analyze the situation of agri-food consulting.
- Monitoring and evaluation of innovation actions, knowledge transfer, advice and innovation within the CAP.
- Strengthen the dissemination of results and the communication of training and demonstration offers, which will be numerous.
- Interlocking with other existing structures.
- Improve knowledge regarding agri-food R&D&I.
The composition of the Coordinating Body is plural and has 80 members :
- General State Administration: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, as well as other cross-cutting Ministries and/or public entities linked to or dependent on these that implement policies with a possible impact on the agri-food sector.
- Regional management authorities that will participate together with a technical-scientific institution from their autonomous community with recognised prestige in the agri-food sector.
- Representative organizations of the agri-food sector.
In addition, the Body is made up of 3 working groups (WG):
- Coordination of agri-food R&D&I chaired by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.
- Agri-food consultancy chaired by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
- Agri-food training chaired by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.