Scottish Alliance for Food

 

Early Career Network Meeting

Date & Time: 25th June 2024, 1pm - 4:30pm 

Are you an early career professional working in the broader field of food? Join our upcoming meeting to learn how SCAF can support the career development of academic and non-academic early career professionals in the food system landscape.

Find out about opportunities within SCAF, including funding, and connect with other like-minded emerging leaders across different disciplines and sectors.

The session includes a networking lunch and after-event drinks.

 

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SCAF Early Career Network Meeting – “What can SCAF do for you?” | Briefing notes 

25/06/2024, 13.30 – 16.30 (with a networking lunch from 13-13.30, and drinks from 16.30-17.30), hybrid meeting (Glasgow/online (Zoom)) 

34 participants 

Chaired by the ECN Committee:

Gemma Ryde, Ben McCormick, Ben Jackson, David McBey, and Lindsay Middleton  

Purpose of this meeting: 

To share how the Scottish Alliance for Food (SCAF) can support the career development of academic and non-academic early career professionals in the food landscape.  

Summary: 

SESSION 1: SCAF introduction and keynote by Rebecca Ricketts (Glasgow Chamber of Commerce) 

SCAF director Prof Emilie Combet introduced the SCAF alliance and its events and activities. This was followed by a keynote presentation by Rebecca Ricketts from the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce on circular economies and introduced Circular Glasgow. Rebecca also explored the value of SCAF to businesses and those outside academia – a means of driving innovation, supporting knowledge exchange and collaboration, lending reputation and credibility, brainstorming cost-effective solutions, tapping into a talent pipeline, and developing long-term strategic partnerships.  

 

SESSION 2: Workshop on Food Futures 

Padlet board: https://padlet.com/scaf2/scaf_food_futures  

This workshop's aim  was to encourage discussion between participants about future actionable changes within the food system in Scotland. Dr Ben McCormick (University of Aberdeen) introduced the workshop participants to the AgriFood+ position paper on the future of the food system, and how this informs the more specific planned SCAF “10 food futures” paper.  

Attendees worked in groups of four to five people to answer three questions in the format of a World Café: 

1. What is the next change for Scottish agri-food? 

1. What are the unintended consequences of these changes? 

1. Who has the responsibility or power for this change? 

In response to the first question (“What is the NEXT change for Scottish agri-food?”), in-person participants began to independently focus on three distinct themes – education, subsidies and legislation. The online group focused on climate impacts and sustainability.  

Groups then reassorted for the next two questions (“What are the unintended consequences of this change?” and “Who has the responsibility or power for this change?”).  

Discussions tended toward characterising challenges within the broad topic, with every group having a wide perspective of the food system.  

 

SESSION 3: How can SCAF help you? 

Opportunities with SCAF were presented during the final session of the day:  

Pump Priming Awards (presented by Prof Emilie Combet): This award aims to support interdisciplinary research relevant to food in the context of health, equity and/or sustainability.  Proposals by early career professionals (ECPs) are particularly encouraged and prioritised. The pump priming funding can be for both academic or non-academic applicants and are specifically seeking interdisciplinary projects and collaborative projects. 

Some reflections about unsuccessful applications in the first round from members of the reviewer panel present at the meeting included a lack of clarity on the timeline and schedule of the proposed project, and the need for a more thoughtful approach to the details of the application.  

In the second round of the award, launched on 26/06, ECPs can receive pre-submission feedback on their proposal if submitted before August 21. 

Mentorship Travel Bursary (presented by Dr David McBey): The bursary aims to connect early career professionals with mentors who can help facilitate their career aims (regardless of the mentor’s career stage) and build future capacity in this area. 

Other opportunities (presented by Dr Gemma Ryde and Murphy Farrell): Dr Gemma Ryde presented upcoming events and opportunities with the SCAF ECN network, including webinars, sandpit/crucible event, special issue, and a next steps event. Murphy Farrell, SCAF Creative Media Intern, presented on writing and communications for a non-academic audience, and proposed a co-productive Food Justice publication. 

 

First published: 31 May 2024