1 INCENTIVES AND MONITORING THE AKIS IN FLANDERS Anne Vuylsteke

2 THE AKIS IN FLANDERS RESEARCH 3 university faculties ILVO 2 university colleges experimental stations EXTENSION Experimental stations ILVO Department of agriculture and fisheries 10 FAS providers Innovation Centre for agri- and horticulture Commercial actors AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS farmers Cooperatives and colletive arrangements (number unknown) SUPPORT SYSTEMS 4 farmers’ organizations Ministry of agriculture and fisheries Ministry of economics, science and innovation Research funding agency Diverse groups EDUCATION 3 university faculties university colleges Ca. 20 vocational schools Department of agriculture and fisheries

3 INCENTIVES FOR UNIVERSITIES Incentives for academic science at university level Operating grant o Fixed share for education, based upon the total amount of study points o Variable share for education, as a function of the financing point (weight per theme) o Research share, depending on the number of PhD’s and the number of publications o Variable research share in function of the weighed number of diploma’s, share of the university in the total amount of PhD’s, publications, citations and first appointments of external and female research as professor.  Financial accountability and annual report on the expenses, the flexible study trajectories, the management agreement and the personnel, Non-targeted research funding (BOF, FWO, Hercules) Sectorspecific research funding (projects) => mainly calls o Program for agricultural research Scientific and technological quality (focus, quality work plan, complementarity, consortium, xxx) Valorisation (target group, valorisation plan, sustainability, policy relevance) Share of agricultural departments of universities Number of students ?

4 INCENTIVES FOR APPLIED RESEARCH Incentives for ILVO Dotation => operation costs, IT, personnel, particular activities, infrastructure Research funding (projects) Performance indicators Research program: policy relevance, policy relevant/basic Income sources next to the dotation Quantity and quality of the research Output (scientific and products) Diverse support activities Cooperation with diverse actors

5 INCENTIVES FOR EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS Incentives for experimental stations Operation costs => personnel, operations and purchases related to the mission Demonstration project (RDP) Research projects Investment support On which criteria is money allocated to experimental stations? Realization of the mission o Supporting the agricultural sector to reach a future-oriented, innovative, competitive and sustainable agriculture through practical research, knowledge transfer activities and information. For this they need to value existing knowledge into practical applications and distribute it in a proactive manner to inform the sector. o To act as an important link between (applied) research and the agricultural sector, with respect for the policy choices of the Flemish government  Planning required (1 and 5 years)  Cofunding by the sector  Requirement of an open knowledge system Projects: competitive calls Investment support: specific call

6 INCENTIVES FOR EXTENSION Incentives for the extension service RDP measure on o courses (starters and training courses), short courses and training. o FAS Activities of ministry Project funding (government and private) Paid private services Criteria Mainly within the RDP => targets and output indicators o Number of participants (both measures) o Numper of days (courses) o Themes (management, administration and marketing, ICT, new technological processes and machines/ innovative approaches, new norms, product quality, landscape and environmental conservation and other) (courses) o Gross value added (FAS, not measured yet) Little criteria for private services

7 INCENTIVES FOR AG. EDUCATION Incentives for the agricultural schools Grant adapted in function of the school characteristics and the health index 3% modulation to support schools with particular school and student characteristics Agricultural and horticultural education is one of the domains that get higher subsidies

8 ARE INCENTIVES COHERENT? System analysis of instruments that support innovation in agriculture Incentives main aim for Actors Knowledge and learning processes Little or no attention for Products Interaction between basic technologies, resources and demand Interaction between companies and other actors Competition and selection process Coherence Good coherence of the instruments Lack of instruments that really contribute to innovation More attention needed for collaboration with other actors (covered in new proposal for the program for agricultural research)

9 ARE INCENTIVES COHERENT? Little changes have been made in the incentive system Major change is coming (cfr. Policy dilemma) => Program for agricultural research Key elements Agricultural sector should be more involved in (steering) agricultural research Attention to implementation on farm level (next to basic research and translation of research results) More cofunding by the sector Possibilities to collaborate with other sectors Evaluation will follow in two years

10 MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF AKIS POLICY Very fragmented monitoring and evaluation Annual reports and evaluations RDP Management agreements o Ministry units o ILVO o Funding agencies Annual reports of universities to the parliament Belgian report on science, technology and innovation … Indicators used Differ according to the measure/instrument/actor Some examples o Budget spent o Scientific output (publications, PhDs) o Number of diplomas o Number of farmers reached

11 MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF AKIS POLICY Report to the parliament Also fragmented Examples o Universities report directly to the parliament - yearly o RDP annual reports - yearly o RDP evaluations – when available o Overview of research policy spending (Speurgids) - yearly o Agricultural report LARA – every two years

12 MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF AKIS POLICY AT EU LEVEL Ideas for an outline of an AKIS monitoring system at EU level Need for more integrated view at MS level Use existing indicators