On October 9th and 10th 2024, FOSTER had a two-day event, comprising a Project Meeting and a Joint Workshop of FOSTER consortium and FOSTER science-policy expert panel. The event was held in Brussels, Belgium at the Representation of the State of Lower Saxony to the European Union.
Project Meeting 2024
On October 9th, project members – including academic partners, Change Driven Initiatives (CDIs) and the Chair of the FOSTER Expert Panel, Janet Dwyer (University of Gloucestershire) – came together to reflect on FOSTER’s progress over the past two years. The main theme was exploring FOSTER’s contributions to transforming the food system and enhancing knowledge and innovation within it.
During the meeting, members shared project status updates, recapped recent Summer School activities, and discussed foresight tools used in those sessions. CDIs shared experiences, successes and challenges from their recent work, following by a dedicated session focused on their stakeholder maps and steps to achieve the desired FOKIS diagrams. The project’s communication and dissemination activities were reviewed, and members previewed the first version of the FOSTER video, soon to be shared with a wider audience.
This meeting was a great opportunity for FOSTER to gather together with the consortium members and the Chair of the FOSTER Expert Panel Janet Dwyer for fruitful discussions and evaluation of the project practices and achievements, and for finding new solutions to approach our ambitious and complex goal of food system transformation.
Joint Workshop of FOSTER consortium and FOSTER science-policy expert panel
On October 10th, the Joint Workshop allowed CDIs and expert panel members to meet in person for the first time. This exchange facilitated a dialogue aimed at improving governance and policies that foster knowledge and innovation. The project’s ultimate goal is to identify ways to adapt, include, and govern knowledge and innovation systems that help transform Europe’s food system to enhance public health, protect the environment, promote fairness, and support sustainable businesses.
The FOSTER Expert Panel, established to translate research insights into policy recommendations, comprises experts in policy processes. In this first Sci-Pol Expert Panel meeting, participants explored a range of EU-level policy instruments that could impact food initiatives. This direct exchange with food initiatives provided valuable insights for policies supporting the shift toward healthier, greener, and more resilient food systems in Europe.
Throughout various sessions, CDIs presented their missions and visions, sharing insights and exploring opportunities for innovation and transformation with the expert panel. Later, invited policy advisors joined for informal discussions with CDIs, fostering connections between food initiatives and formal research, innovation, and knowledge structures.
This gathering introduced participants to the FOSTER project’s mission and vision, the participating food initiatives, and relevant EU policy instruments, setting the stage for continued collaboration in promoting food system transformation.