Increasing the impact of research by involving stakeholders: Laimburg Research Centre, a best practice example

Abstract

Applied or application-oriented research is often faced with the challenge of generating tan-gible benefits and a concrete impact outside the academic sphere. Various initiatives launched by the European Commission such as the "Innovation Union" and the "European Innovation Partnerships", but also the multi-actor approach in Horizon 2020 projects, aim to increase the impact of research through the closer involvement of end users during the plan-ning and implementation of research projects. At a local level, Laimburg Research Centre has been committed to this approach for many years. It has done pioneering work by setting up its expert advisory board meetings, in which representatives of agricultural practice, together with the centre's researchers, shape the research programme of the following year. This best practice shows how a successful and efficient involvement of stakeholders helps to align application-oriented research to the challenges and needs of end users.