Adriano Mauro, Prototipi Managing Director, stated: “Introducing PrAEctiCe at the AU-EU Innovation Festival, we had the opportunity to share experiences and common interests with other initiatives like SophiA 4 Africa, the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa and AgroTech+ at work to promote sustainable agriculture and food security in the African continent. Meeting innovators from the agritech field, such as Vinmak, Radava Mercantile, and eAgro, was inspiring. The face-to-face networking opportunity will pave the way to future collaborations and to disseminate PrAEctiCe results beyond the countries in which our project works.”

The event took place as a backdrop while adopting the AU-EU Innovation Agenda. The AU-EU Innovation Agenda is a collaborative policy initiative to spur advancements in Science, Technology, and Innovation. It seeks to transform research and innovation into practical products, services, businesses, and job opportunities that drive economic growth and social progress. The EU sees this initiative as a strategic partnership that aligns with its priorities and is supported by the Global Gateway and Horizon Europe.

The agenda comprises four objectives underpinned by short-, medium-, and long-term actions. These actions are spread across four priority areas: Public Health, Green Transition, Innovation and Technology, and Capacity for Science.

This gathering brought together a diverse range of stakeholders to solicit valuable opinions and objectives for the upcoming implementation phase of the Agenda.

The main focus of this phase is to achieve short-term goals that will pave the way for the successful realisation of the Agenda’s long-term aspirations.

AU-EU cooperation in research and innovation for the next decade aims to convert research and innovation efforts into real-world applications, services, businesses, and jobs, leading to sustainable growth and more robust value chains. The festival was a resounding success in terms of facilitation of bridging the gap between the African and European innovation ecosystems, fostering connectivity and collaboration for future prosperity.

During the festival, insightful discussions focused on the remarkable achievements and challenges women and youth-led innovations faced. This event provided an excellent platform for networking and knowledge sharing between innovators and stakeholders from the European and African Union. Attendees at the event had the opportunity to share insights from experiences on how AU-EU collaborations could play a pivotal role in supporting the AU-EU Innovation strategy across the identified key collaboration areas.