Throwback to a interactive HDHL Food4Health Strategic Board Kick-Off Meeting
Last month, the Strategic Board of the HDHL Food4Health project kicked off during a full day meeting in Brussels.
The Strategic Board, bringing together representatives from Horizon Europe Partnerships, projects and initiatives in the European Research Area and beyond in the domains of food, nutrition, health and environment, got the opportunity to connect with each other and learn about the project and their role for the upcoming 3 years.
One year into the HDHL Food4Health project, Bernadette Conrads (ZonMw) gave an overview of the general objectives:
- O1. Coordinate R&I programmes across MS, widening countries, and HE partnerships
- O2. Develop and align RIPI priorities for food, health, and environment
- O3. Run transnational joint calls with innovative funding mechanisms
- O4. Boost uptake in practice via co‑created pathways and best practices
- O5. Strengthen science‑to‑policy through an Exchange Forum and tools
- O6. Support impact in Member States with an Impact Framework for Sustainable Development Goals
as well as some main achievements including:
- Development of a new branding for HDHL and HDHL Food4Health;
- Organization of an event for Early Career Researchers in HDHL and beyond to foster connection and develop skills e.g. grant writing;
- Inventory on (alternative) funding mechanisms;
- Launch of the Knowledge Hub Call ‘Food Processing Policy Implementation Network’ to bring together leading researchers from different disciplines – including food science, nutrition, public health, behavioural science, environmental science, and economics – to develop a shared knowledge base and provide guidance for policy, research, and innovation;
- Establishment of a Strategic Board;
Welcome on board CECU, EIT Food, EITH Health, ERA4Health Partnership, FAO, FutureFoodS Partnership, JRC and SCAR FS!
This Board, supported by Nikki De Clercq (ILVO), will play a pivotal role in advising, co-creating and updating Research, Innovation, Policy and Implementation (RIPI) priorities at the intersection of food, nutrition and health, ensuring that joint actions reflect societal needs and complement ongoing European initiatives. The first stones on this topic were set during an afternoon brainstorm in which Nastasia Belc (IBA) presented a preliminary framework for identifying RIPI priorities and the results of a first consultation round with the HDHL Member States collecting national R&I priorities at the intersection of food, nutrition and health.
The Board will however not only support the development of the RIPI priorities but will also advice on other project activities such as with the development of a Compendium of best-practices where R&I solutions have been taken up in practice to and contributed to concrete changes in the food system? Alvija Šalaševičienė (KTU) carefully explained the methological approach, selection pathway and asked the Board for their strategic reflections on the relevance and scope of this tool in relation to the project objectives, as well as any initial thoughts or potential leads. Their feedback was included in the final steps to widely disseminate the online survey "Call for Cases: From Science to Practice in Food and Health"
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A warm thank you again to Laura Fernandez and John Mathers for chairing the meeting, and to all Strategic Board members for their thoughtful insights, critical reflections and commitment.
Looking forward to continuing and shaping this journey together!
