How EIP-AGRI Operational Groups are supported in Ireland

This page separates the funding programme from the project that an organisation runs. The Department sets the call, awards the funding and controls the public money. Each successful application creates a time-limited Operational Group for one project. Vedomia calls the body holding that group together an Operational Group Coordinating Organisation. Official notices may instead say lead applicant, lead partner or that the group is led by the organisation. It coordinates one project; it does not own or operate EIP-AGRI nationally. The call documents and grant agreement remain the authority for the exact conditions.

CAP Strategic Plan 2023–2027 · EAFRD cooperationReg. (EU) 2021/2115 · Articles 77 and 127Funding and conditions vary by call
CountryIrelandParent funding frameworkIreland’s CAP Strategic Plan 2023–2027EU policy areaCommon Agricultural PolicyProgramme categoryAgriculture, Rural Development and InnovationProgramme levelNational implementation of an EU framework
One programme, too many disconnected records. Delivery notes, partner decisions, expenditure, results and reporting evidence often sit in different files until a deadline or audit forces someone to rebuild the story. This map connects the funding route to the work and the evidence, so programme managers, finance teams, auditors and the public can follow the same accountable record.

Who this process map is for

EIP-AGRI Operational Group Coordinating Organisations

These organisations can have very different legal forms, but they carry the same central burden: turn several partners into one deliverable project and one reportable record. The examples below are publicly named in official Irish award or launch notices. They are examples, not an exhaustive register, and this shared map does not claim that their internal procedures are identical.

National rural networkIrish Rural LinkBreeding Waders EIPLead organisation for the selected consortiumOfficial Irish record →
Local-authority shared serviceLAWPROFarming for Water EIPEstablished and coordinates the Operational GroupOfficial Irish record →
Agricultural research and advisory bodyTeagascIntact Tails EIPLead partner named in the funding awardOfficial Irish record →
Farmer-led breeding organisationSheep IrelandOviFlock EIPOrganisation represented in the lead applicationOfficial Irish record →
Open their shared 12-step process map →
REPORTING RELIEF

Reporting should be assembly, not archaeology.

The lead organisation keeps one joined record while the project is running. Progress reports, payment reports, the final report, audit questions and public explanations can then reuse verified facts instead of rebuilding the project from scattered files and inboxes.

Why this matters
In an EU CAP Network survey of 21 Operational Groups, interim-payment reporting took 12.5 days on average — 53.4% of follow-up administration. About 29% reported submitting the same information more than once.
Agreement obligationActivity or decisionCost and paymentResult and learningEvidence and reviewReport, claim and response
Programme managerSees gaps before the deadline and stops chasing the same facts through separate inboxes.Finance teamCan connect each amount to approved work, eligibility checks, payment proof and delivery evidence.PartnersKnow exactly what record to return, when it is due and what happens if evidence is incomplete.Auditor or reviewerCan follow the line from award and approval to activity, cost, result, evidence and submitted claim.Public and practitionersReceive plain-language findings, practical recommendations and honest limits — not only administrative outputs.
Open the reporting map and download the register →

How the money reaches an organisation

Every level here can be asked for its own process map. That is the point of yours.

European Union — Common Agricultural Policy
Sets the EIP-AGRI cooperation framework through Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 and co-finances national CAP Strategic Plans
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Manages Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan and publishes, assesses and awards EIP-AGRI calls in Ireland
👉 Your organisation sits at this level
Lead / Operational Group Coordinating Organisation
The lead applicant, lead partner or organisation leading one funded project coordinates the partnership, delivery, evidence and reporting
Operational Group Partners
Farmers, researchers, advisers and other relevant partners co-create the solution, make transparent project decisions and deliver their agreed work
Participating farmers and people who can use the result
Practitioners trial the work where applicable; farmers, foresters and rural communities should be able to understand and apply the knowledge produced
Department controls, reporting and audit trail
Selection, grant, payment, reporting and closure controls come from the current call documents and the project’s grant agreement

How the programme works in practice

The route below keeps delivery and reporting together. Each step names one accountable actor, the expected output, the record that should exist and the control to check. “Call-dependent” means the current call or grant agreement must be verified before anyone relies on the detail.

StepAccountable actorExpected outputEvidenceControl pointRequirement
1. Accept the Award and Fix the Contract BaselineCoordinating Organisation — Authorised SignatorySigned grant agreement and one controlled baselineSigned grant agreementThe coordinating organisation confirms the authorised version, eligible start arrangements and any condition that must be met before activity or spending begins.call-dependent
2. Turn the Agreement into an Obligations RegisterCoordinating Organisation — Programme ManagerLive register of obligations, deadlines, evidence and approvalsObligations registerNothing is labelled fixed unless it traces to the agreement or current programme documents; project choices remain identified as internal choices.call-dependent
3. Establish Operational Group GovernanceOperational Group Chair / Coordinating OrganisationAgreed governance, decision, conflict and escalation arrangementsPartnership agreementInternal procedures and decision-making are transparent and conflicts of interest are actively managed.fixed principle; details call-dependent
4. Onboard Partners, Staff and ParticipantsCoordinating Organisation — Programme ManagerPeople, roles, access, eligibility and record duties confirmedPartner onboarding recordPartner, staff and participant arrangements follow the agreement, data-protection duties and any applicable eligibility or payment conditions.call-dependent
5. Build One Delivery, Budget and Evidence PlanCoordinating Organisation — Programme and Finance LeadsControlled workplan linking activities, people, budget and proofControlled delivery planThe working plan reconciles to the awarded scope and budget; changes are not silently treated as approved.call-dependent
6. Convene Decisions and Control Project ChangesOperational Group / Coordinating OrganisationTraceable decisions, actions, risks and approved changesDecision and change logThe Operational Group makes internal decisions transparently; contractual changes use the approval route in the grant agreement.call-dependent
7. Coordinate Trials, Activities and Partner DeliveryPartners / Work Package LeadsCompleted activities with contemporaneous delivery recordsActivity evidence packActivities, participation, methods and outputs follow the approved plan or a documented authorised change.call-dependent
8. Reconcile Costs, Procurement and Participant PaymentsCoordinating Organisation — Finance LeadEligible costs and payments reconciled to activity and budgetReconciled cost registerEligibility, procurement, payment and partner-claim conditions are checked against the applicable agreement before inclusion in a claim.call-dependent
9. Maintain the Live Evidence IndexCoordinating Organisation — Programme ManagerOne evidence index joining delivery, finance, results and obligationsLive evidence indexThe index identifies missing, draft and accepted evidence honestly; the presence of a file is not treated as proof that a condition was met.call-dependent
10. Prepare and Submit Progress and Payment ReportsCoordinating Organisation — Programme ManagerApproved report or payment claim supported by the live recordSubmitted progress reportThe authorised version is complete, internally approved, submitted by the required date and retained with acknowledgements and follow-up correspondence.call-dependent
11. Monitor Results and Share Practice KnowledgeMonitoring and Communications LeadsCredible results, learning and practice knowledge shared beyond the groupResults and learning logClaims remain proportionate to the evidence, and required plans and results are disseminated through the applicable national and EU routes.fixed principle; format and timing call-dependent
12. Close the Project and Hand Over the Audit TrailCoordinating Organisation — Programme ManagerAccepted final report, resolved conditions and retained project recordAccepted closure recordFinal outputs, expenditure, dissemination and open conditions are reconciled before the record is closed.call-dependent

Process maps under this programme

Where this came from

Human reviewed2026-09-07Automatically checked2026-09-07Current source statusAutomatic check incomplete — human check requiredThe source could not be reached automatically. Published content has been preserved for human checking.

Read against the source on 2026-09-07. This is the human-reviewed version.

Independent process overview based on publicly available information. It is not official guidance and is not endorsed by the European Union, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the National CAP Network or any programme delivery body. Requirements may vary by call and project. Users must verify current conditions against the applicable programme documents and grant agreement.