On October 29-30, the Horizon Europe project GI SMART held its kick-off meeting in Paris, hosted in the premises of INRAE – National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment, coordinator of the project.
Representatives from the 17 public and private partners making up the consortium, gathered from 8 European Member States to engage in productive discussions and working sessions, align on priorities, and defining the roadmap for the coming months.
Selected under the Horizon Europe call “HORIZON-CL6-2023-COMMUNITIES: Investigating the contribution of geographical indications (GIs) to sustainable development and optimizing support for newly established schemes”, the project officially began on June 1st.
The main objective of the project is to enhance the design and implementation of the GI system to support sustainable agriculture, healthy and sustainable food, and sustainable food systems, in line with the objectives of the Farm to Fork strategy.
Highlights of the Kick-Off Meeting
The Policy Officer from European Commission’s DG AGRI, Ms Ana Patricia Lopez Blanco, and the Project Officer from the Research Executive Agency (REA), Ms Giovanna Rizzetto, set the scene for the two-day discussions presenting essential guidance on the objectives to be met through the project and the way to collaborate with the European Commission.
Partners also presented their respective work packages, outlining specific tasks, milestones, progress achieved so far and expected outcomes.
Additionally, dedicated sessions focused on communication, dissemination, and stakeholder engagement, led by AREPO and Euromontana, emphasized strategies to increase project visibility and impact.
The project’s website was officially presented too, with its features to stay up to date on GI SMART research’s progress and to get involved in the GI SMART Community Platform.
The two organisations also held an interactive exploitation workshop, equipping partners with approaches to maximize the project’s long-term outcomes and benefits for the GI community.
The kick-off meeting fostered collaboration among partners and set the stage for coordinated efforts in upcoming activities, to drive forward the objectives of GI SMART, ensuring that the project delivers on GIs sustainability and strengthens the European GI system.
Stay tuned for further updates as GI SMART progresses through its newly launched website and its social media accounts on X and LinkedIn!
