Building Advisors and Researchers’ Capacity to Support Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems in Europe: The Case of the I2CONNECT Summer School

Abstract

The I2CONNECT Horizon project introduced summer school training, aiming at strengthening the capacity of future advisors and researchers to support interactive innovations. The training consisted of two online sessions and a four-day face-to-face course, covering basic concepts and various methodological tools for stimulating active participation and strengthening innovation networks. The findings indicate the effectiveness of interactive training in cultivating skills and attitudes that enable innovations and also imply the need for the integration of participatory learning and methodological knowledge on interactive processes into university curricula. Modifying traditional university education in this direction could enhance the design and implementation of interactive projects, facilitating actors’ navigation through innovative ecosystems.

Keywords

• interactive training
• networks
• AKIS
• education
• innovation support services