The call for UK researchers is now closed. HOWEVER We have extended the application deadline until the 28th of February for applicants from Brazil only
Call for participants to workshop on
A pathway to global sustainability – Role of local food supply logistics in global sustainability
Under the Researcher Links scheme, offered within the Newton Fund, the British Council and FAPESC, Brazil will be holding a workshop on the above theme in Brazil from 29 May to 1 June 2017, Rio do Sul, Brazil. The workshop is being coordinated by Dr Usha Ramanathan, UK and Dr Lilian Borges, Brazil, and will have contributions from other leading researchers including Prof Mollie Painter, Prof Ramakrishnan Ramanathan, Prof Sérgio Eduardo Gouvêa da Costa and Prof Edson Pinheiro de Lima. We are now inviting Early Career Researchers from the UK and Brazil to apply to attend this workshop. All travel and accommodation expenses will be covered by the Researcher Links programme. The application form, with more details on the workshop, is attached. Completed applications should be sent to usha.ramanathan@ntu.ac.uk and lilian.borges@unidavi.edu.br
Overview of the Newton Fund Researcher Links Workshop
The programme, ‘British Council Researcher Links’ provides opportunities for early career researchers from the UK and internationally to interact, learn from each other and explore opportunities for building long-lasting research collaborations.
As part of this programme, we are now recruiting early career researchers to participate in the above workshop. The workshop will provide a unique opportunity for sharing research expertise and networking. During the workshops early career researchers will have the opportunity to present their research in the form of a short presentation and discuss this with established researchers from the UK and partner countries. There will be a focus on building up links for future collaborations and participants selected on the basis of their research potential and ability to build longer term links.
The British Council and FAPESC will cover the costs related to the participation to the workshop, including: travel (both international and local travel within Brazil), accommodation and meals. Costs for the visa will be covered; however participants will be responsible for making all the necessary arrangements. Although this cost will not be covered by the British Council, participants are encouraged to purchase an adequate travel and medical insurance. The British Council accepts no responsibility for any problems which may occur when the participants are in-country.
Introduction to the workshop
Food and logistics are two major industries contributing heavily to Brazil’s economy and also for environmental sustainability. Brazil is one of the major global exporters of food products. This involves many food and logistics SMEs.
However, increasing restrictions from Western countries on sustainability of FSL put pressure on Brazil’s FSL SMEs to develop and maintain sustainability objectives. Some of the SME initiatives include CO2 control and avoid food waste in the production and distribution process. It will be highly appropriate now to inform researchers and local businesses about the opportunities for Brazilian food SMEs in global markets if sustainability is achieved in food production and logistics. Businesses will be informed of the importance of evidence-based sustainability measures such CO2 reduction. This in turn will enhance Brazil’s opportunity for global exports and economic sustainability.
The main objective of this workshop is to identify innovative approach to improve the sustainability of food supply logistics (FSL) in Brazil to improve the local economy and employability. This workshop will create a platform for young researchers to establish a link with other academics and businesses for future collaboration.
In order to achieve this objective, the workshop will make the following efforts to
- Understand the current status and challenges of FSL in Brazil
- Identify the areas of FSL where environmental sustainability can be achieved
- Explore the ways of achieving FSL sustainability (such as reducing CO2 and increasing local selling)
- Compare the best practices of FSL sustainability from the UK and other countries to employ the best approach of sustainability in Brazil
- Discuss potential alternatives to address food SMEs’ sustainability concerns such as family agriculture empowerment programs and shift to organic produce
As knowledge sharing is the main focus of the workshop theme, some of the established approaches being used in UK FSL companies such as ‘free range’ and ‘locally grown’ will be discussed in the workshop. Workshop participants will be comparing and contrasting the best practices of sustainability in food distribution in Brazil and the UK.
Mentors will deliver keynote lectures on practicing sustainability in local food and logistics industry.
Networking sessions will form groups that comprise of both UK and Brazil early career researchers. Group discussions between the UK and Brazil groups will further enhance the idea of implementation of suitability practices in FSL SMEs. At the end of every session, each coordinator will summarise the common viewpoints of discussion to the whole participants. Dissemination of information will be in the form of flip charts, posters and presentations.
Application and Deadline:
The full application below must be completed and submitted by 20 Jan 2017 to usha.ramanathan@ntu.ac.uk and lilian.borges@unidavi.edu.br
Eligibility Criteria:
- Applications must be submitted using the Researcher Links application form included at the end of this document.
- Application must be submitted before the above deadline Friday 20 January 2017.
- Participants must be early career researchers: Early Career Researchers are defined as holding a PhD (or having equivalent research experience) and having up to 10 years post-PhD research experience. They are equivalent to the ‘Recognised Researcher’ and sometimes ‘Experienced Researcher’ categories in the EU frame work for researchers’ careers. http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/pdf/research_policies/Towards_a_European_Framework_for_Research_Careers_final.pdf Leading Researchers as defined by the EU Framework for researchers careers are research group leaders who are internationally recognised in their field.
- Participants must have a research or academic position (a permanent post, research contract, or fellowship etc.) at a recognised research institution either in the UK or in Brazil.
- Please note that participants are expected to attend all sessions of the workshop.
Quality Assessment
- Experience and relevance of the applicant’s research area to the workshop
- Motivation and contribution to the aims of the workshop
- Description of the long term impact expected through the participation in the workshop
- Ability to disseminate workshop’s outcomes
Selection Procedure:
- Eligibility check
- Quality assessment
Notification of results:
Applicants will be notified by email 2 months prior to the workshop.
Equal Opportunities
Equal opportunities and diversity are at the heart of the British Council’s cultural relations ambitions. While recognising that some research fields are dominated by one particular gender, co-ordinators are encouraged to work towards an equal gender balance, promote diversity. They must not exclude applicants on the basis of ethnicity, gender, religious belief, sexual orientation, or disability. Participants’ selection undertaken by workshop organisers must not contravene this policy. Extra support to enable participation of Early Career Researchers with special needs will be given.
Please apply before the due date using the application-form