BovINEBeef Innovation Network Europe
BovINETeagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority of Ireland, is the national body providing integrated research, advisory and training services to the agriculture and food industry. Its mission is to support science-based innovation that will underpin industry profitability, competitiveness and sustainability, and contribute to enhancing the quality of life of rural communities. This is achieved through the close coupling of research and knowledge exchange in four programme areas; Animal & Grassland Research & Innovation; Crops, Environment & Land Use; Food; and Rural Economy and Development. Teagasc’s annual research portfolio comprises some 300 research projects, carried out by 500 scientific and technical staff in 6 research centres throughout Ireland. The Teagasc advisory programme, delivered by over 250 advisors, provides all farmers in the country with the opportunity access research results, see good practice in operation and acquire new skills. Teagasc also provides a very wide range of practical, financial, technical and environmental education and training opportunities for farmers and farm family members.
Teagasc will coordinate the project (WP1) and establish a beef innovation network at EU level to enhance sustainability of the EU beef sector. With ILVO and INTIA, it will provide a lead support role in network formation and implementing the multi-actor approach (WP2). It will also work closely with regional practice partner, the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) to establish a national beef innovation network in Ireland. Leveraging its research staff it will identify research that is not yet in widespread use across the four thematic areas of the project (WP3-6), and through its advisory and education staff it will identify good practices, and support knowledge exchange. It will test some of the solutions identified in its research and demonstration farms to assess feasibility of proposed solutions to farmer’s needs (WP3-6). Finally, it will use its dissemination channels, and committed media partners, to access advisors and farmers in Ireland (WP7) and use its position within organisations such as EUFRAS, SCAR and professional bodies such as the European Association of Animal Production to communicate about the project at EU level.
Prof. Maeve Henchion, head of the department of Agrifood Business and Spatial Analysis in Teagasc, will head the BovINE project management team (PMT), which is responsible for the effective execution of the BovINE project plan. She will be the key point of contact between BovINE and the European Commission and members of the project advisory group.
Email: maeve.henchion@teagasc.ie
Dr Richard Lynch, BovINE project manager, will oversee the overall coordination of activities, ensure that the correct administrative and financial management principles are adhered to as set out in the consortium agreement and assess risks as they occur throughout the project. He will also be responsible for the development of periodic reports on project activities and the development of a sustainability plan along with other members of the PMT.
Email: richard.lynch@teagasc.ie
Michael O’Connor is a student of the Masters in Agricultural Innovation Support Programme supported by the Teagasc Walsh Scholarships Programme. His research is entitled ‘Using online tools for evaluation and impact assessment of multi-actor innovation: learnings in the COVID19 context for the beef advisory services (BovINE)’. His project works across three Horizon 2020 Thematic Networks namely, LIAISON, FAIRshare and BovINE. The BovINE Project aims to boost the sustainability of the European beef sector, by boosting exchange and acceptance of co-created solutions. Michael’s role in the project is to select and use relevant tools from handbooks in the multi-actor thematic networks mentioned and write a reflective thesis that describes and reflects their use in practice. This project can be a roadmap to help advisors address challenges to embedding digital tools in different advisory and farming contexts across the EU.
© BovINE, all rights reserved unless stated otherwise.
Please address all mail to:
FAO: Maeve Henchion
The BovINE Project
Teagasc Ashtown Food Research Centre
Dublin 15
D15 KN3K
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 rural
renaissance programme | Project No: 862590 under call H2020-RUR-2019-15