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    Welcome to PREMIERE!

    All across Europe, rural areas are facing major social, economic, and environmental concerns and challenges … as well as many exciting opportunities.

    Innovative solutions are needed to help farmers, foresters, and other rural businesses or initiatives to meet the expectations of wider society, whilst at the same time running their own successful businesses and working in harmony with the essential natural resources on which we all depend. Innovation encompasses various processes such as networking, the co-creation of ideas, and regular information exchange. In particular, practical collaboration between partners with diverse competencies is needed for the realisation of innovative ideas and new solutions.

    EU funding for so-called ’multi-actor‘ research and innovation projects is an especially important tool for speeding up the development, local adjustment, dissemination, and use of innovations in food, farming, the bioeconomy, natural resources and the environment.

    The EU Multi-Actor Approach (MAA) specifically requires applicants to ensure that potential future users of the project’s results contribute to the development and implementation of the project from the beginning until the end of the activities. Over 40 % of all topics of Cluster 6 of the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation programme require the application of the multi-actor approach. And more are to come!


Why join the PREMIERE MOOC?

Discover the key features that make this course practical, inclusive and valuable for learners at all levels.

Free and open access

The PREMIERE MOOC is fully accessible online and free of charge. It is open to all individuals interested in strengthening their understanding and application of the Multi-Actor Approach (MAA), regardless of prior experience.

Self-paced learning

The course is modular and entirely online, allowing participants to progress according to their availability and learning needs. Modules can be followed sequentially or independently, providing flexibility for different levels of prior knowledge.

Practice-oriented

Eight modules guide learners through the conceptual foundations, methodological principles and practical implementation of the MAA. The course combines policy, evaluation criteria, practical tools, examples and self-assessment exercises to ensure direct applicability.

Certificate of completion

Participants who successfully complete all eight modules receive a certificate issued by the PREMIERE project, recognizing their engagement and acquired knowledge in the application of the Multi-Actor Approach within Horizon Europe projects.


About PREMIERE

The Multi-Actor Approach (MAA) is now a defining feature of research and innovation projects under Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe, especially in Cluster 6. It emphasizes meaningful involvement of diverse actors — practitioners, advisors, civil society, and policymakers — throughout the project lifecycle.

Between 2014 and 2024, 237 multi-actor projects were funded under Horizon 2020 and the early years of Horizon Europe. Today, up to 40% of Cluster 6 call topics explicitly require MAA, and the trend continues with 50 new topics in 2025 introducing mandatory multi-actor requirements.

The PREMIERE MOOC, co-created with experienced practitioners, helps researchers, advisors, and project applicants turn policy expectations into practice, strengthening project design, stakeholder engagement, and overall impact.