Senior Researcher, Principal Investigator Horizon Europe DEMETRA (2024-2027)
Our new Horizon Europe project DEMETRA has finally started! Over the next 3,5 years, we will increase our understanding of how to collectively organize food system transformations at the city level in democratic, participatory and inclusive ways. Together with a great team of researchers and civil society organizations, we will analyze and compare new deliberative participatory processes (DPPs such as citizens' assemblies, e-governance, participatory budgeting) in seven cities across Europe to gain insights on their inclusiveness and empowerment of citizens as well as on their impact on transforming local food systems. Our aim is it to identify best practices and DPPs that contribute to citizens' democratic engagement and their co-construction of sustainable food systems. Citizen participation is essential for addressing both climate change and a reducing trust in our democratic institutions. The far-reaching sustainability transformations have to become supported by and co-created by all citizens in our societies. Particularly in the light of the recent attacks against our democracies, it becomes crucial to scrutinize democratic, participatory and inclusive ways of engaging all citizens in our sustainability transitions, including citizens from marginalized groups. No one has to be left behind. Our projects seeks to provide tools for a democratic governance of sustainability transformations. I am so excited to be part of a great team involving Maria Grasso (scientific coordinator) and Otto Carlo Hofer at Queen Mary University, Lorenzo Bosi (coordinator) and Irina Aguiari at Scuola Normale Superiore, Mare Ainsaar (PI) at Tartu Ulikool, Sabine Weiland (PI) at Institut Catholique de Lille, Katrin Uba (PI) at Uppsala Universitet, Marco Guigni (PI), Ophelia Nicole-Berva and Elena Reinhart at Université de Genève, Ian O'Flynn (PI) and Max Rozenburg at University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Tommaso Tonet at Campi Aperti per la Sovranità Alimentary, Cecilia Conti at Cinemovel Foundation, Florian Sander and Jörn Hamacher at Ernährungsrat Köln und Umgebung e.V., and Philipp Degens and myself (PI) at Universität Witten/Herdecke. Our gratitude goes to the Reinhard Mohn Institute for hosting our German team of researchers - thanks so much, Guido Möllering, for all your support until now and in the following years! Please contact us for more information and/or visit our website https://lnkd.in/e6THrwcs where you'll find regular updates on the project. #foodsystemtransformation #sustainabilitytransition #sustainabilitytransformation #nachhaltigkeitstransformation #democracy #deliberativedemocracy #participatorydemocracy #climatechange #climateliteracy #trustresearch #citizensassemblies #bürgerrat #demokratie #egovernance #participatorybudgeting #bürgerhaushalt European Research Executive Agency (REA)
Geoffrey Kwala
9mo
Simone Schiller-Merkens congratulations !! Please connect with Dirk Wascher from FEAST :) - I hope you can bond, as the FEAST Network feast2030.eu is moving along the lines of systemic food transformation through living labs across institutions and sectors in Europe. It might be a great addition to facilitating some change in sustainable transformation in the food sector as well as a resource for knowledge exchange. Looking forward :)
looking forward to working together Simone!
Senior Researcher, Principal Investigator Horizon Europe DEMETRA (2024-2027)
9moThanks so much, Geoffrey! We will definitely contact them.