Aim & Objectives

The overall aim of the FunShield4Med project is to strengthen the scientific excellence and innovation capacity of the Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products (ITAP) of Hellenic Agricultural Organisation – DIMITRA (ELGO-DIMITRA) from Greece in the field of food safety against mycotoxigenic spoilage fungi and mycotoxins under climate change challenges. ELGO-DIMITRA/ITAP represents the Widening country participant and coordinator of the project. The strategic collaboration with the advanced partners of the project, originating from Italy (University of Parma/Dept of Food and Drug), Spain (University of Lleida/Food Technology Dept), UK (Cranfield University/Environment and Agrifood Theme), and an internationally-leading University from Greece (National Kapodistrian University of Athens/Dept. of Chemistry), will ensure the knowledge and expertise transfer, help build new research alliances, and enrich, apart from Institute’s personnel, as well as young researchers’ capacities from all members of the consortium.

To achieve the overall stepping-up of ELGO-ITAP R&I capacity and to stimulate scientific excellence, FunShield4Med has 5 specific objectives (SO) directly responding to Twinning’s expected outcomes. To level up research & scientific cooperation of participants; to increase knowledge, expertise and skills on toxigenic fungi & mycotoxins; to develop educational/training activities; to level-up ELGO-ITAP administrative and financial staff’s skills; and to raise public and scientific awareness on mycotoxins.

SO1: To level-up research and scientific cooperation of participants under EU funded projects.

The interaction between consortium members will support the formation of cooperation strategies for all partners to benefit through future proposal submissions and further collaborations of common scientific interest. All FunShield4Med partners have cooperated successfully in past projects and there is already a well-established interaction between them, increasing the potential of successful future collaborations.

SO2: To increase knowledge, expertise, and skills of ELGO-ITAP research staff in the field of spoilage mycotoxigenic fungi and mycotoxins prevalence, for the further development of quantitative mycological exposure assessment (QMEA), taking in consideration the current climate change context.

SO3: To develop educational/training activities for academia and industry aiming at development of professional skills

FunShield4Med will give a special focus on training of Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs), as well as Early Career Scientists (ECSs) from industries and private sector, to provide them with key knowledge and new competencies. All training activities of FunShield4Med will be open access, while new e-learning material will be developed.

Special dissemination activities will take place from the participating Universities involving their BSc, MSc and PhD students who will also benefit. The advanced partners of FunShield4Med are all high-level educational institutions, assuring the high involvement of ESRs to the project.

Additionally, ELGO-ITAP hosts a large number of under- and post-graduate students, for their theses or practical exercises, originating from several Greek and foreign universities, enabling thus a wider dissemination of educational/training activities.

SO4: To level-up ELGO-ITAP administrative and financial staff’s skills on attracting and managing internationally funded projects.

A complete upgrading of R&I capacity is directly linked with the increase of skills of administrative staff through infrastructural and training measures. This will require the creation of working groups and the organisation of workshops for upgrading administrative and financial skills for the management of international projects. More specifically, international projects support team of ELGO-ITAP will be established to support the preparation of proposals for international R&I grants (e.g. Horizon Europe, EFSA Grants, Countries bilateral funds & agreements, etc). For the organisation of these training events, the support of advanced partners with successful background in international projects coordination is fundamental.

SO5: To raise public and scientific awareness by providing effective dissemination and exploitation of project’s outcomes through scientific events open to all parties/stakeholders including industrial/commercial user groups.

Final scientific objective is to raise public and scientific awareness through the Dissemination – Exploitation – Communication activities to all interested parties and stakeholders, including industrial and commercial users’ groups, and relevant authorities. FunShield4Med will create different activities dedicated to emerging risks that CC will bring in relation to mycotoxins control. Efforts will be directed so that these events organised in cooperation with EFSA (all beneficiaries are in art.36 list of competent organisations of EFSA). This mix of activities will include apart from a dedicated website, the participation to, and organisation of scientific events, engagement of social media, creation of promotional material, publicity events and more.