The European FutureFoodS Partnership, supported by the Horizon Europe programme, is organizing on 24 February 2026 the first webinar in a series dedicated to the interface between research and public policy in the context of transforming sustainable food systems.
About the event
Webinar 1: “Principles and Practices of SPI in Different Contexts” will take place online from 10:00 to 12:00 CET and aims to explore how research can provide relevant and effective advice to policymakers across a variety of real-world situations.
SPI (Science-Policy Interface) refers to the interaction between the scientific community and policymakers—an essential component in shaping coherent and effective policies for food systems. This webinar sets the foundation for the discussions that will continue in the next two events in the series.
What you will learn in the webinar
The event includes:
Key presentations
📌 Keynote speeches based on:
- a survey conducted by FutureFoodS among public officials;
- recent research findings on different types of scientific advisory tasks;
- SPI governance and principles applied in practice;
- challenges encountered during implementation.
Group work sessions
Participants will work in virtual breakout rooms, using the Miro platform for:
- sharing concrete examples from the practical experience of officials and researchers;
- facilitated discussions to understand practical variations in SPI approaches;
- developing an initial typology and classification of principles applied in different contexts;
- identifying the advantages and challenges associated with each type of SPI.
Why participation matters
This first webinar sets the starting point for the entire series, and its conclusions will directly shape the discussions in:
- Webinar 2 (19 March 2026) – focused on the science-policy-society interface in food policy;
- Webinar 3 (22 April 2026) – dedicated to developing practical guidelines and a broadly accepted SPI typology.
Who should attend
This event is particularly relevant for:
- researchers interested in the research-policy interface;
- public officials and policymakers involved in food policy;
- professionals and experts supporting the transformation of food systems;
- anyone wishing to better understand the dynamics of the science-policy interface in practice.
In conclusion
Webinar 1 in the FutureFoodS series offers a valuable opportunity to explore the principles and practices of scientific advice for public policy across diverse contexts, helping to develop tools tailored to the real needs of sustainable European food systems.
More details are available on the FUTUREFOODS project website.