Final Report Summary - EAGLES Food Forum (European action on global life sciences - food forum)
The EAGLES project had the following major objectives:
1) to review and define strategies of food, agriculture and biotechnology research in Europe and with a world-wide perspective, in view of tackling global challenges and meeting the needs of developing countries;
2) to encourage open and balanced dialogue with the European public, media and opinion formers about the needs and competencies of the DEC in this specific sector.
The EAGLES food forum provides a platform for the scientists from DEC and the EU where they will be able to:
- give voice in Europe through various consultations and dialogues to the needs and competencies of the DEC in the life sciences;
- give input and advice to the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) on collaboration with DEC countries on research on food (security, quality and safety), agriculture and biotechnology, including environmental issues;
- encourage and advise Europeans in applying more effectively European competencies in the life sciences for the benefit of the poor and needy in the DECs;
- discuss ethical and regulatory questions in the life sciences from the perspective of the needs of the developing and emerging countries;
- strengthen the global responsibilities of EU programmes in research, education, innovation, application and implementation;
- initiate and promote extensive international science and technology (S&T) cooperation and collaboration between developed and developing countries in achieving the United Nations millennium goals and other EU international commitments towards addressing global challenges and meeting the needs of the least developed countries.
The EAGLES food project has ended and all the milestones and deliverables have been successfully met and fulfilled. During the last 3 years the EAGLES food project has organised five steering committee meetings, three major scientific symposia, five scientific workshops, six international conference sessions and two meetings in the European parliament. The activities have been widely covered by radio and television. The EAGLES project has produced a series of valuable reports on food related topics and several articles in the scientific and public press which have been referred to widely.
EAGLES' overall objective, to promote the application of the life sciences to the solution of the great humanitarian challenges of hunger and environmental degradation, demands unrelenting attention. Three years is a short time in a global struggle and in order to really impact on the world and give life science in the developing world the priority the objective which was set for EAGLES requires continuous strategic investment.
The most important sign of the success of EAGLES is that there is a real interest in continuing EAGLES activities. There is a strong interest among very influential scientists to become member of EAGLES and we have a number of very prominent researchers who would like to become part of the EAGLES board. EAGLES is planning to raise money by its own merits, independent of the EC, to form a permanent group.
EAGLES has been approached by a number of international organisations for input and advice on global development issues and is progressively increasing its status as a platform for dialogue, knowledge formation and international collaboration.
The work of EAGLES has been administered within the European federation of biotechnology at its new office in Barcelona under the executive director Jens Degett. Most of the activities can be seen on the project's website (see http://www.efb-central.org/eagles/site online).
1) to review and define strategies of food, agriculture and biotechnology research in Europe and with a world-wide perspective, in view of tackling global challenges and meeting the needs of developing countries;
2) to encourage open and balanced dialogue with the European public, media and opinion formers about the needs and competencies of the DEC in this specific sector.
The EAGLES food forum provides a platform for the scientists from DEC and the EU where they will be able to:
- give voice in Europe through various consultations and dialogues to the needs and competencies of the DEC in the life sciences;
- give input and advice to the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) on collaboration with DEC countries on research on food (security, quality and safety), agriculture and biotechnology, including environmental issues;
- encourage and advise Europeans in applying more effectively European competencies in the life sciences for the benefit of the poor and needy in the DECs;
- discuss ethical and regulatory questions in the life sciences from the perspective of the needs of the developing and emerging countries;
- strengthen the global responsibilities of EU programmes in research, education, innovation, application and implementation;
- initiate and promote extensive international science and technology (S&T) cooperation and collaboration between developed and developing countries in achieving the United Nations millennium goals and other EU international commitments towards addressing global challenges and meeting the needs of the least developed countries.
The EAGLES food project has ended and all the milestones and deliverables have been successfully met and fulfilled. During the last 3 years the EAGLES food project has organised five steering committee meetings, three major scientific symposia, five scientific workshops, six international conference sessions and two meetings in the European parliament. The activities have been widely covered by radio and television. The EAGLES project has produced a series of valuable reports on food related topics and several articles in the scientific and public press which have been referred to widely.
EAGLES' overall objective, to promote the application of the life sciences to the solution of the great humanitarian challenges of hunger and environmental degradation, demands unrelenting attention. Three years is a short time in a global struggle and in order to really impact on the world and give life science in the developing world the priority the objective which was set for EAGLES requires continuous strategic investment.
The most important sign of the success of EAGLES is that there is a real interest in continuing EAGLES activities. There is a strong interest among very influential scientists to become member of EAGLES and we have a number of very prominent researchers who would like to become part of the EAGLES board. EAGLES is planning to raise money by its own merits, independent of the EC, to form a permanent group.
EAGLES has been approached by a number of international organisations for input and advice on global development issues and is progressively increasing its status as a platform for dialogue, knowledge formation and international collaboration.
The work of EAGLES has been administered within the European federation of biotechnology at its new office in Barcelona under the executive director Jens Degett. Most of the activities can be seen on the project's website (see http://www.efb-central.org/eagles/site online).
