A brief update of Thom before he starts his summer leave, with information on the website, the contact list, kick off meeting draft, new Co-Leader of WP5, Oxford workshop and Prague meeting and more
Dear SUSFANS colleagues,
A brief update before I start my summer leave:
- The website www.susfans.eu<http://www.susfans.eu> is now up and running thanks to web-master Sebastian Eckert and the Communication team led by Karin Zimmermann. Please send news clips on your activities in the project or interesting related developments to eckert@uni-bonn.de<mailto:eckert@uni-bonn.de>.
- The kick off blog http://kickoff.susfans.org/ has been completed with all presentations and a popular summary is under preparation.
- Also the contact list has been improved and attached.
- The final draft report of our successful kick off meeting (attached) has been shared for comments with reporters and chairs. Any comments from other are welcome, please send them to Athanasia (Nancy) Baka nancy.baka@wur.nl<mailto:nancy.baka@wur.nl> by 21 August.
- Several WP leaders will convene in Oxford workshop next week to further define the conceptual framework and sustainability metrics, organized by John Ingram and Monika Zurek, new on his team. Inge Tetens will also join this event to ensure that discussion on the role & definition of case studies in the project can be properly followed up afterwards.
- I am glad to inform you that Inge Tetens from Danish Technical University has accepted a role as co-leader for WP5 (Case Studies). Inge will give particular attention to the fruit and vegetable case study and nutrition policy. The steering committee, composed of pillar and WP (co-) leaders, is now fully operational! · Several of us have been already been presenting the ambitions of SUSFANS at external events, including the Pre-meeting to the EAT Forum<http://www.eatforum.org/>, EuroDISH final conference<http://www.eurodish.eu/37-final-conference-programme> and the FoodDrink conference<http://programme2015.fooddrinkeurope.eu/conference/programme/index.php> at the EXPO. This has raised very positive feedback and ample interest for participation in the project’s stakeholder process, for example from Nestlé and the World Wildlife Fund. Please inform the Communication team on any such presentations or promising contacts. Looking further ahead
- The first stakeholder workshop will be organised on October 30 in Prague by John Ingram from Oxford and Pierre Dussourt from ILSI. They are now developing the basic aims and list of invitees. It would be fantastic to have a balanced presence from the project’s steering committee. We aim to install a small committee with pillar leaders, wp6 team and coordinator to prepare the event. John and colleagues will follow up. · The SUSFANS position paper has been accepted for oral presentation at the 2nd conference on Global food security at Cornell in October. Thom and possibly Martine will present the paper, which we plan to improve with your input from the steering committee August-September · On the accession of Unilever, DSM and NZO Dutch Dairy Association: there is now a wholesome arrangement – outside SUSFANS – for a financial contribution of these parties to the SHARP modelling of the Wageningen team. The results of that side-project will enter as background into SUSFANS. The formal process for accession of industry to the grant agreement will be taken up with consortium, industry and EC from September onwards, and will lead to an amendment of the grant agreement.
- The preparation of a more detailed research implementation plan will be followed up with WP leaders in September. I will return to office on 31 August with some intermittent access to email around 6-10 August.
- The project office will now close until Denise Helmes returns from holidays on August 3rd.
Drop any issues in the email box susfans@wur.nl<mailto:susfans@wur.nl>, or contact us when we are back in action.
Thanks to all for your contributions so far and for putting the consortium in good shape. Looking forward to start delivering with you on our scientific agenda.
Have a wonderful summer! Best regards Thom