Kieran Flanagan University of Manchester Co-I of the STFC Food Network+

Motivation (Hopefully) the biggest challenge facing civilization is climate change and its impact on food security Food production is (arguably?) the biggest “single” contributor to climate change The STFC Food Network+ offers a way for people like me to get involved and use our STFC capabilities to help solve these problems

Food Security: The Challenge “having access to affordable, safe and nutritious food, today and tomorrow” Feeding a growing population Predicted to be >9 billion by 2050 = 36% increase Increasing demand for quantity and quality Correlation between GDP and total food per person -> projected 50% increase in demand for food by 2050 In the face of a changing climate

Food Security: Types of Solution Sustainable intensification Reduce crop stress: biotic (pests, disease) and abiotic (dehydration, competition) Improved crop varieties (plant breeding, GM) Improved conditions (soil, pollination) Reducing food waste On farm, supply chain, supermarkets Consumer waste including obesity

Objectives of the SFN To build an inclusive, dynamic, interdisciplinary network of researchers focused on innovative ways to use the skills and facilities funded by STFC. To kickstart inter-disciplinary collaborations and research projects working towards safe sustainable food systems both in the UK and developing countries. To enhance the impact of STFC/food multidisciplinary collaborations by encouraging co­design with the non­ academic sector.

SFN Co-Investigators Sarah Bridle (PI) Katherine Denby Manchester, astronomy Katherine Denby York, plant systems biology Kieran Flanaghan Manchester, nuclear, Bruce Grieve Manchester, agrifood sensors Jason Halford Liverpool, psychobiology, obesity Lenny Koh Sheffield, supply chain Mark Reed Newcastle, impact, ecosystem services Alison Fletcher (Project Manager)

SFN Steering Committee Alastair Taylor (Chair) CEO IAgre Peter Allan Honorary Scientist RAL Space Peter Atkinson Lancaster University Myles Bremner Consultant to Jamie Oliver Foundation David Flanders CEO Agrimetrics Centre Peter Lee Acting Director, Research Complex at Harwell Hywel Owen University of Manchester Robin Pinning Chief Technology Officer, Hartree Ernesto Santibanez Gonzalez UFSB, Brazil; Talca, Chile Stefan Seuring University of Kassel, Germany Tim Williams Project Coordinator, Farming Futures

Intersections

Intersections Your ideas here!

SFN Champions Simon Pearson Sonal Choudhary Christian Reynolds SFN Champion for Sustainable Food Production Sonal Choudhary SFN Champion for Resilient Food Supply Chains Christian Reynolds SFN Champion for Improved Nutrition and Consumer Behaviours Seb Oliver SFN Champion for STFC Data Science Stephen Serjeant SFN Champion for STFC Technology Sarah Rogers SFN Champion for STFC Facilities

What would “success” look like? “For us, a successful SFN would have instigated multiple new projects between STFC research and facilities and food research and industry, that would not have happened without the SFN. We would like the seed funding provided by the SFN to enable these projects to become self-sustaining beyond the SFN. We want the SFN to have built cross-disciplinary communities who understand the skill sets and challenges facing each other, and engage to solve agri-food problems''

Potential for being self-sustaining Collaborate with industry / spin out Innovate UK / KTN / ISCF Dragon’s Den Sandpit in year 3 Global Challenges Research Fund University support for REF Impact cases? Interdisciplinary opportunities with UKRI? Drive the design of a new STFC facility? Your ideas here!

SFN Pre-Launch Survey Highlights: Over 640 responses 75% of respondents were from STFC research or facilities 285 people said ‘I would like to join the SFN mailing list to receive updates every few weeks’ 82 people said ‘I am considering attending the SFN launch meeting on 28/29 June in Manchester’

SFN Pre-Launch Survey Career stages/types of those who wanted to be added to the mailing list. “Other” included government, civil servants, local authority, knowledge exchange, research managers, research council employees, policy advisors

Survey brought new members from a wide range of backgrounds “Other” included plant science, ecology, food security, robotics, IoT

SFN Members The following slides show contributions from existing SFN Members illustrating any of: Existing interactions between STFC and food Food challenges in need of a solution STFC capabilities in search of a food challenge Please send us your slides! queries@stfcfoodnetwork.org

Earth observation A wealth of data exists Satellite, cubesats, drones Questions to answer with this data include Crop mapping - assessment of food insecurity Crop stress interventions Assessing plant breeding trials Joe Fennell, Sarah Bridle, Pete Bunting, Andy Hardy, George Petropoulos, Dan Morton, Paul Robinson, Mark Jarman, Simon Pearson, Jadu Dash, Peter Atkinson, John Crawford, Jon West, ...

12 Sentinel-2 wavebands

Supernova classification Multiband imaging every few days Spectra for a subset of the images

Existing SFN Project: Blackgrass from space Wheat is one of the biggest crops in the UK Blackgrass is becoming the biggest problem Selective herbicide resistance Spreading from South to North Easily visible to the farmer Distinctive spectrum – when it’s too late to act Use Sentinel-2 data to monitor spread Rob Freckleton (USheffield), Helen Hicks (USheffield) Joe Fennell (UManchester), David Brightman (Brightman Farms), Sarah Bridle (UManchester)

Agri-food technology Simon Pearson Founding Director of the Lincoln Institute of Agri Food Technology Engaged in multiple projects on agri food robotics, engineering, agri water and use of ICT to underpin food safety Leads a Key note STFC Newton China project on the use of fast neutron (cosmos) detectors to monitor soil moisture and to calibrate the SARS sensor on Sentinel-1 satellite.

Dark Energy and gas pressure management We developed advanced statistical methods to analyse data about powerful, distant stellar explosions to understand the nature of the mysterious Dark Energy The same tools are being used to reduce methane leakage from the gas distribution network and thus fight climate change Learn more: www.robertotrotta.com and datafusion- consultants.com and utonomy.co.uk SN1994D High z SN Team/NASA/HST

Science and Technology Facilities Council Food Network+ (SFN) What have we done so far? (and continuations….) Website (just launched!) www.stfcfoodnetwork.org We’ve now set up a one-stop shop for all things SFN This covers profiles on our Co-Is and SC, updates on funding opportunities, details of upcoming meetings, our pre-launch survey results and a variety of news items relating to the wider network We will be keeping the website updated on a regular basis so please do keep checking in to see what’s happening in the Network

Science and Technology Facilities Council Food Network+ (SFN) What have we done so far? (and continuations….) Website

Science and Technology Facilities Council Food Network+ (SFN) What have we done so far? Seminars/Slides We now have a slide set of over 200 slides that we are presenting at institutions across the country These cover people and projects from across the STFC Physics and Agri-Food Communities You will soon be able to access these from the website If we haven’t yet been to your institution please do get in touch and we can make arrangements for a talk If you haven’t already contributed we’d love a slide on you…... Thanks to all of you that have contributed They cover facilities, food impacts, food and stfc projects, people

Science and Technology Facilities Council Food Network+ (SFN) What have we done so far? (and continuations….) Seminars/Slides Examples of people slides and project slides

Science and Technology Facilities Council Food Network+ (SFN) What’s next on the SFN Agenda? Sandpits We’ll be holding small sandpits to try and develop ideas for potential collaborative scoping projects Sandpits are a small intense meeting to brainstorm ideas After discussions here at the Launch Meeting we’re hoping to set a date for our first (before end of 2017) and then will open for applications to attend this Hope to hold a second in 2018 following the same format An Impact sandpit in 2019 to identify the ideas most suitable for further development to increase Technology Readiness Levels. Impact - to identify the ideas most suitable for further development to increase Technology Readiness Levels (poss dragons den format)

Science and Technology Facilities Council Food Network+ (SFN) What’s next on the SFN Agenda? Asking for funding proposals We will soon open a call for scoping studies funding (normally <£8k per study) to close shortly after the first sandpit We hope you will have lots of new ideas during and after this meeting Initially we anticipate that 8 small scale scoping studies will be funded (<£8k each) and there will be calls for more proposals each year of the Network We would like these studies to have a goal for applying for future bigger funding e.g. With industry Global Challenges Research Fund Industry Strategy Challenge Fund Potential funding to develop REF21 cases … your ideas here...

Science and Technology Facilities Council Food Network+ (SFN) What’s next on the SFN Agenda? Factsheets Aiming to produce Factsheets aimed at STFC researchers to summarise key open questions in food research: Sustainable Food Production, Resilient Food Supply Chains, Improved Nutrition and Consumer Behaviours, Factsheets for food researchers about STFC capabilities: STFC Data Science, Technology and Facilities These will help us to create impact through public engagement We’re hoping they may also contribute to Policy and Public Debate Ready to distribute in October Many of you said in the survey that you’d like to both read and contribute to these - More on this in Sarah’s closing session….. E.g. through DEFRA

Science and Technology Facilities Council Food Network+ (SFN) What’s next on the SFN Agenda? Champions We’re hoping to get together a group of people to champion the Network and stimulate new activities and conversations and we’re hoping that some of you could be these people Looking for people who can really help the network progress and be our ambassadors and advocates Looking for people who together span the breadth of the STFC Physics and Agri-Food communities Monthly meetings starting in September

Sarah Bridle University of Manchester PI of the STFC Food Network+

How are we achieving our objectives? Developing a Network of collaborators – Currently ~600 Members Working closely with our 6 fantastic Champions Creating a Handbook to help summarise each community for the other Holding Sandpits to develop collaborative scoping projects The first of these ‘Transforming food supply chains for a sustainable future and ‘Measuring the ground truth’ will be held in Feb 2018 Offering funding for scoping studies - <8k per study Call to be announced early 2018 Spreading the word through our website: www.stfcfoodnetwork.org

How to get involved in the SFN Become an SFN Member by emailing queries@stfcfoodnetwork.org We may invite you to contribute slides, contribute to writing factsheets etc Go to www.stfcfoodnetwork.org for more information!