FIT4FOOD2030 has welcomed four new Policy Labs to the project. The three countries and one region that have committed to running a research and innovation (R&I) Policy Lab for food systems transformation are Austria, Estonia, Ireland and the Basque Country. They join the seven Policy Labs that started in the first phase of the project, making up a total of 11 Policy Labs, and are expected to organise three national/regional meetings during the remaining 1,5 years of the project.

Policy labs
Policy Labs within FIT4FOOD2030 aim to maximise the impact of R&I on future-proofing the food system in country-specific contexts. They bring together different stakeholders, including people who are usually not involved in policy discussions. In a series of national (or regional) meetings over the course of the project, each Policy Lab will analyse the current food system and related R&I landscape, define knowledge gaps and opportunities and work on innovative R&I policies. A central aspect in this process includes a holistic approach centred around Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI).

First training session for new Labs
The four new policy labs came together for a first training session on the 8th and 9th April in Amsterdam. There they learned about the FIT4FOOD2030 project and were given the knowledge and tools to get started with their lab and organise the first national meeting. There were sessions and exercises on elements like food systems visioning, stakeholder engagement, and lab strategies and design. In parallel, the coordinators of the first seven policy labs held their third training session, which focussed on the experimentation phase of the policy labs. Several joint sessions involving both old and new labs offered opportunities for exchange. Being able to learn from the experiences of the running Policy Labs was highly appreciated by the new labs. The first seven policy labs are being run by Flanders, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway and Romania.

To learn more about the Policy Labs, please visit the FIT4FOOD2030 website