A (brief) history of the STFC Food Network+

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Food Network+ (SFN) brings together STFC researchers and facilities with research and industry in the agri-food sector.

What do we do?

The SFN is building an interdisciplinary community working to provide a sustainable, secure supply of safe, nutritious, and affordable high-quality food using less land, with reduced inputs, and in the context of global climate change and declining natural resources. We fund projects that put STFC capabilities to work in the AgriFood industry.
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Intersections of STFC capabilities and the Food Industry: our projects operate use STFC capabilities to solve AgriFood challenges
Our Launch Meeting in 2017 - Our aims and intentions for the Network:
Our 2019 Annual Meeting - Our successes and looking to the future of the SFN 2.0:

Objectives

The objectives of the SFN are:
  • To build an inclusive, dynamic, interdisciplinary network of researchers focused on innovative ways to use the skills and facilities funded by STFC.
  • To kickstart interdisciplinary collaborations and research projects working towards safe, sustainable food systems both in the UK and developing countries.
  • To enhance the impact of STFC/food interdisciplinary collaborations by encouraging co­design with the non­academic sector.

What success means to us:

For us, a successful SFN would have instigated multiple new projects between STFC research and facilities and food research and industry, that would not have happened without the SFN. We would like the seed funding provided by the SFN to enable these projects to become self-sustaining beyond the SFN. We want the SFN to have built cross disciplinary communities who understand the skill sets and challenges facing each other, and which engage to solve agri-food problems.
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