About FoSSNet

Enhancing and Deepening Academic Networks

FoSSNet aims to address the inadequacies of the current Knowledge and Innovation (K&I) system within the European Research Area (ERA). By enhancing and deepening academic networks, we seek to establish a new K&I governance structure capable of meeting the emerging challenges of ensuring Europe’s nourishment in a healthy, sustainable, and fair manner.

Current challenges in Europe’s Food System

Europe’s food system faces significant challenges in achieving sustainable food production, distribution, consumption, while managing impacts on nutrition, society and the environment. Key issues in relation to the Food System Knowledge and Innovation system include:

Fragmented Collaboration: Limited integration across disciplines and engagement with non-academic stakeholders.
Regional Imbalance: Geographic biases favouring Western Europe, limiting diverse perspectives and expertise.
Weak Integration Frameworks: Inadequate methods and frameworks for combining knowledge, essential for understanding food systems’ complexity and interconnectivity.
Support Deficiency: Lack of institutional backing for inter- and transdisciplinary research, despite rising interest.

FoSSNet Pillars

The Heart of FoSSNet: Three Pillars Driving Food System Innovation Across Europe

FoSSNet is committed to transforming Europe’s food systems K&I system through an inclusive, inter- and transdisciplinary approach. This approach is essential to effectively address the multifaceted challenges of transforming Europe’s food systems beyond traditional linear methods. Our initiative focuses on three pillars:

Pan- European Network: Establishing a pan-European platform for Food Systems Science, facilitating collaboration and knowledge exchange among diverse stakeholders — within academia and beyond, such as industry, policy and civil society — to collectively address food systems complexities through the Food Systems Science Network and the FoSSNet Knowledge Hub.

Food Systems Science (FSS): Developing a comprehensive framework for Food Systems Science, promoting inclusivity, and fostering Science-Policy dialogues to drive sustainable food system transformations.

Educational Empowerment: Supporting educational initiatives through the FoSSNet Academy, Summer Schools, and innovative curricula to cultivate the next generation of researchers and professionals equipped with interdisciplinary skills to tackle food system challenges effectively.

Strategic Approach and Objectives

Bridging Gaps, Building Futures: FoSSNet’s Blueprint for a Sustainable Food Network

FoSSNet adopts a systems thinking approach to understand the complex nature of food systems, moving away from traditional linear methods. By integrating food system science with diverse academic disciplines and practical insights from policy and systems transformation experts, FoSSNet aims to foster collaboration among universities, research institutions, industry, farmers, citizens, and policymakers. This approach promotes inclusiveness, cooperation, and communication across sectors to address knowledge gaps, update policies, and drive collaborative solutions for transforming Europe’s food systems towards sustainability and equity.

Establishing a Common Language and Framework: Developing a shared language and comprehension of Food Systems Science (FSS) while creating a conceptual framework and a pathway for food system transformation.
Academic Bridge-Building: Connecting European food systems scientists and institutions across local and global levels to integrate diverse knowledge fields (e.g., from ethnography, sociology to biology, nutrition, engineering, economics and law), and foster collaboration among all food system actors to ensure an effective and systemic approach.
Enhancing Inclusivity: Promoting inclusivity and address power imbalances within FSS practices, focusing on actively seeking to reach and tap into underrepresented regions, such as Eastern Europe.

Driving Inter- and Transdisciplinary Science: Breaking down barriers to interdisciplinary science in FSS networks through collaborative research, annual conferences showcasing project results and promote networking activities, as well as an event in Poland focusing on expanding the network in Eastern Europe.
Building Future Competencies: Establish a robust academy and curricula to equip future food systems thinkers and decision-makers with the competencies and capabilities to navigate complex food system challenges.
Ensuring FoSSNet’s Sustainability and Impact: Securing the long-term sustainability of FoSSNet and its integration into the Knowledge and Innovation System (FOKIS) by generating scientific, economic, and societal impact to secure the network’s future.