The vision of FoSSNet is that strengthened and deepened academic networks are a necessary element of a new knowledge and innovation governance structure for Europe’s food system. This new structure is needed because the current governance in the European research area is insufficient to address the emerging challenges of nourishing Europe in a healthy, sustainable and fair way.
In recent years, there has been growing interest in inter- and transdisciplinary research to address the multifaced and complex challenges of food system transformation. However, despite transformational contributions to knowledge production, technological innovation, societal wellbeing, and economic growth, limitations in the current knowledge and innovation systems—especially regarding disciplinarity, scalability, and societal responsibility—reduce their ability to meet emerging societal challenges. Instead, it becomes clear that diversity of knowledge, perspectives and competences is needed to overcome current barriers within the food system to enhance food systems outcomes in a fair and better-balanced way. While such perspectives are applied to research and education across much of Europe, Food System Science (FSS) is at its infancy and needs to find a more solid place into academia and research policies. Within the FSS community there is a lack of engagement and collaboration amongst the various academic paradigms, and a lack of interaction among scientists in the academic world and those in the realms of business, civil society, policy and regulation, both limiting the potential of transformative change. Additionally, food systems science is geographically biased towards Western Europe. Its evolution needs to be underpinned by enhanced governance drawing together food system science with other academic disciplines and other forms of knowledge including that of practitioners in policy and systems transformation. Therefore, FoSSNet aims to establish a Europe-wide network for Food Systems Science that harnesses existing knowledge, advances the field of food systems science and education conceptually and methodologically, facilitates integrated food systems thinking, and develops pathways for science-policy-society linkages.
The overall objective of FoSSNet is to establish an inclusive inter- and transdisciplinary pan-European network for food systems science and advance open and inclusive science and education for food systems transformation. The approach of FoSSNet is to foster inclusiveness, cooperation and communication within and across scientific disciplines and across academia, industry and civil society.
