Webinar No1: Using granular data sets to improve student retention, progression and outcomes and to address awarding gaps

Was held on Tuesday 17 January 2023 from 13.00 to 14.00 CET

Dr Nick Freestone, Kingston University (UK) presented the webinar.  See his bibliography below

Webinar Overview

Nick Freestone outlined some of the challenges associated with teaching large and diverse cohorts of undergraduate science students and showcased a range of practical ideas for encouraging and engaging with such students. The session showed how data analytics can be used to purposefully design strategies to target often scarce resources at specific student cohorts to tackle disparity in achievement of the desired learning outcomes within the student body.

Nick Freestone's presentation can be viewed here:
powepoint

The recording of the Webinar is here:

Biography Dr Nick Freestone 

Dr Nick Freestone is an Associate Professor for Physiology and Pharmacology and Course Director for undergraduate Pharmaceutical Science degree courses at Kingston University, UK. These courses were shortlisted for the Guardian University awards in the category of “Course Design, Retention and Student Outcomes in 2021”. His research covers two different disciplines. The first is in bioscience and relates largely to studying calcium handling in isolated cardiac myocytes. The second relates to the interrogation of the nature of university learning itself via a diverse educational research portfolio.

As a pedagogical researcher he has run national workshops on teaching and learning for colleagues for the AdvanceHE and the Heads of University Biosciences (HUBS)/Royal Society of Biology (RSB). He is a Senior Fellow of the HEA, a Fellow of the RSB and was until recently Education Lead for the Physiological Society. In 2014/15 he was UK HEA Bioscience Teacher of the Year and now Chairs the judging panel for that award. He established a national "Bridging the Awarding Gaps" Network for the RSB in 2020 and is co-Chair of the network. He was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2021 and was a founding member of the Kingston University team recently shortlisted for a Times Higher Education award in the category of “Outstanding Contribution to Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity” in November 2022.

SIG Sustainable Entrepreneurship Education Colloquium 2022

 Spotlighting the Assessment of
Sustainable Entrepreneurship Education

was held on Wednesday 18 May

at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University

Download the ICA-EDu SIG flyer

A   Focus

Entrepreneurship education is a field in which innovative approaches to teaching and learning - like student challenges, innovation spaces, incubators and extra-curricular activities - go hand-in-hand with discussions on graduate profiles and professional identities. The new generation of Agri-food and Life Sciences graduates is expected to show creativity, resilience, pro-activeness and risk taking in a world characterised by uncertainty.

Wide entrepreneurship education, in general, and learning trajectories for students in particular, requires capturing the development of entrepreneurial competences at regular time intervals. But how to assess learning outcomes, if it is all about development and learning process?

One of the key insights from the previous ICA-Edu-Colloquia focusing on entrepreneurship education was to further consider assessment by including reflection and formative assessment strategies. In addition the need was recognised to enhance teachers’ assessment competences of the entrepreneurial outcomes.

B   Programme Overview

The ICA Special Interest Group (SIG) for Sustainable Entrepreneurship Education invites you to take part in a one-day program that enables you to learn more about assessment of (sustainable) entrepreneurship education during the keynote, workshop and round table discussions in the morning.  In the inspiring session in the afternoon you will have the opportunity to share your best practices and to learn from others including the deliverables from the recently completed INTRINSIC project.

C   Expected Outcomes

This colloquium is aiming to establish:

• A shared understanding of what assessment in the field of sustainable entrepreneurship education entails
• A space to share best practices, learn from each other and gain insights on different learning activities to use in your own practice
• Shaping the ICA-Edu Special Interest Group on sustainable entrepreneurship education for the years to come

D   Target audience

Teachers, researchers, program managers and other enthusiastic people working in the Life Sciences and who are involved in, or curious about, sustainable entrepreneurship education.

E   Programme

It was possible to attend the morning session ONLINE from 10.30 to 13.15 CET.  There was no registration fee for attenance online.

F   The Leaders of the ICA-Edu Special Interest Group (SIG) for Sustainable Entrepreneurship Education

The SIG is a section of the ICA Network for Innovation in Life Sciences Higher Education (ICA-Edu).  The Chair of the SIG is a member of the ICA-Edu Executive Committee.

Lisa Ploum, Chair of ICA-Edu SIG & Wageningen University and Research, NL

Yiorgos Gadanakis, University of Reading, UK

Guido Orzes, Free University Bozen-Bolsano, IT

Jarkko Pyysiäinen, University of Helsinki, FI,

Andreas Zitek, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), AT

Download the ICA-EDu SIG flyer

ICA Community of Practice for Bioeconomy Education

Interdisciplinary Education for the Bioeconomy:
embedding the mindset of the bioeconomy in the curricula of Bachelor degree programmes

was held on Thursday 19 and Friday 20 May

at the Monasterium Poortackere, Ghent, Belgium

See the detailed programme and download the keynote presentations
Download the Colloquium flyer

A Colloquium focus

The Colloquium will focus on education for the Bioeconomy at the Bachelor level, with the focus on the ambition to develop the mindset of students for the Sustainable Circular Bioeconomy through the curriculum of Bachelor degree programmes.

Students follow many different Bachelor degree programmes which can provide opportunities for careers in the different fields of the bioeconomy represented by agriculture, forestry, horticulture, blue economy, food value chain, biotechnology, and the bio-based economy. However, many graduates on leaving education are not aware of the career opportunities and the scope of the Sustainable Circular Bioeconomy. Employers in these industries need staff who bring the perspective of the Sustainable Circular Bioeconomy to their particular job in the workplace.

These many existing specific Bachelor degree programmes, related to the many disciplines underpinning the Bioeconomy, need to incorporate within the curriculum an understanding of the concept and interdisciplinarity of the Sustainable Circular Bioeconomy.

The goal of the Colloquium is to address how such an interdisciplinarity mindset of the Sustainable Circular Bioeconomy should be embedded in the curricula of these Bachelor degree programmes.

The question is posed in terms of the concept of the structure of degree programmes based on the T principle. How to present the interdisciplinarity of the cross bar of the T in a degree programme with the specialisation portrayed by the vertical bar of the T? How should the balance be made between the cross bar and the vertical bar during the delivery of the curriculum? What learning trajectory steps should be made across the curriculum of a Bachelor degree programme to embed the mindset of the Sustainable Circular Bioeconomy in the student’s experience?

Bachelor and Master stand-alone Bioeconomy degree programmes are not the focus of this Colloquium but will contribute, through their defined learning outcomes, to the discussion of how to embed the interdisciplinarity of the Sustainable Circular Bioeconomy in specific Bachelor degree programmes. 

B Colloquium themes

Framing the challenge, by reviewing the learning outcomes from specific Bachelor and Master Bioeconomy degree programmes and then defining the learning outcomes required to deliver the Sustainable Circular Bioeconomy mindset.

Developing a learning trajectory for delivering the interdisciplinary concept in Bachelor degree programmes, which can contribute to the Sustainable Circular Bioeconomy.

Specific teaching and learning activities to support the development of interdisciplinarity for the bioeconomy, including cooperation with industry, in Bachelor specific degree programmes.

What strategic approaches are required to embed the delivery of this mindset in all Bachelor degree programmes in a life science faculty/ university.

C The Colloquium Outcomes will allow delegates to:

• Define the overarching learning outcomes for the developing the mindset of the Sustainable Circular Bioeconomy in Bachelor degree programmes underpinning the Sustainable Circular Bioeconomy - for the industry sectors of agriculture, forestry, blue economy, food value chain, biotechnology and the bio-based economy.
• Define opportunities and learning activities in the learning trajectory to deliver the learning outcomes of the Sustainable Circular Bioeconomy in the curricula of specific Bachelor degree programmes.

D Target Audience

Degree programme co-ordinators, lecturers, members of committees responsible for the (strategic) development of curricula. National education advisers are also invited to contribute to the discussion.

E Colloquium Format

Each Session of the Forum theme will be addressed by keynote speakers followed by small round table breakout groups to discuss the issues raised, with a concluding report from the breakout groups of the issues raised in the final session.

F Colloquium organising committee

• Josef Glössl, BOKU University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
• Ingar Janzik, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH and Bioeconomy Science Center, Germany
• Han van Osch (Chair), Avans University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands & Dutch Biobased Knowledge Network
• Mona-Anitta Riihimäki, Häme University of Applied Sciences, Finland
• George Sakellaris, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague & BioEast
• Constantinos Vorgias, University of Athens, Greece
• Simon Heath, ICA Deputy Secretary General

Download the Colloquium flyer

See the detailed programme and download the keynote presentations

Association for European Life Science Universities (ICA) 

Bending the Curve for Biodiversity: challenges and opportunities for life science universities
&
Life science universities addressing
Knowledge Security

 was held on Thursday 20 and Friday 21 October 2022

at the Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy, Lithuania

Download the Forum flyer and see the keynote Presentations here

The goal of the ICA's Rectors and Deans Forums

This annual ICA Forum for Rectors, Deans and senior management of agricultural and life science universities in Europe aims to provide these university decision makers from ICA's member universities with the opportunity to meet, to discuss current issues in the agricultural and life sciences and to exchange views on issues with relevant stakeholders in industry, government and NGOs.

This Forum will address two themes as outlined in paragraph A. On Thursday “Bending the Curve for Biodiversity” and on Friday morning “Knowledge Security”.

A  Forum Foci
1 Bending the curve for Biodiversity

Biodiversity loss is increasingly recognized as one of the most pressing challenges of our times as it threatens our own survival. In the words of Philipp Blom at the recent BOKU Featuring Future Conference 2022: we all live in a thin membrane encircling the globe and in that thin membrane all the species including us humans are interdependent.

Biodiversity is one part of the triangulation of challenges facing humanity, the other challenges being to feed an ever increasing world population and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The urgency to address the biodiversity crisis is increasingly visible on the global environmental agenda and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) plays a major role in articulating this.

The authors of the Nature paper (Leclère D, Obersteiner M, et alia. 2020. Nature 585, 551) stress the need for an integrated strategy to bend the curve of terrestrial biodiversity decline and to reverse the global terrestrial biodiversity decline.

The IPBES and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) in their joint Workshop Report Biodiversity and Climate Change (2021) recognise that climate change and biodiversity loss are interconnected in both scientific and policy-making circles, but in practice they are largely addressed separately. The report suggests that the research community dedicated to investigating the climate system is somewhat, but not completely, distinct from that which studies biodiversity. It stresses the need for biodiversity loss and climate change to be dealt together if the global climate and environmental ambitions are to be achieved.

The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, published in 2020, aims to “bring nature back into our lives”.  It picks up on one strand of the European Green Deal – protecting nature.  The achievements of the strategy’s ambitions are linked in part to the EU Farm to Fork Strategy (another strand of the European Green Deal).  The EU Biodiversity Strategy focuses on nature-based solutions to protect and restore nature.  The need being to focus on developing land and water use systems so as to bend the curve against further biodiversity loss.

The Forum will address these challenges and discuss how life science universities can and do develop their education, research and innovation programmes and their engagement with society to contribute to the achievement of the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the wider global agenda as formulated by the IPBES and the IPCC.

2 Addressing Knowledge Security

Science has always been based on the idea and ideal of free exchange of information, results, scientists and students. Only by freely exchanging scientific ideas, the results of scientific research and scientists are we able to make progress in scientific understanding of the social and natural world; and hence to contribute to a better global society and planet. The European and global movement of Open Access publication, Open educational resources and FAIR data (as discussed during the ICA Forum 2021) pays tribute to that.

However, increasingly life sciences (and all) universities are confronted with developments and risks that endanger the idea of free exchange of science, research and scientists/students: Economic espionage (by private or state actors), dual use of university knowledge and technologies, cyber-attacks by criminals, unwanted influence of students and researchers, unethical and inappropriate use of research results, and foreign interference can no longer be ignored by (life science) universities. Hence there is a growing call by the media, by state authorities and the EU, by private-stakeholders, by university supervisory bodies as well as by scientists to develop activities and programs for what can be labelled “knowledge security”. This can conflict with university’s ideal of free exchange of information, research results and scientists. How to cope with that?

This Friday morning session will explore the security risks faced and experience of life science universities. We will discuss programs and activities that have been developed by ICA members to handle these risks and outlooks towards the future.

B Expected outcomes

The delegates will take back to their universities their reflections on

1. the knowledge-based evidence that is needed to make effective and inclusive decisions for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity;
2. the approach to educating their students that will empower them as our future leaders to address and act to protect and enhance biodiversity.
3. Possible strategies and actions by life science universities to address knowledge security challenges.

C Target Audience

The forum is primarily aimed at Rectors, Presidents, Deans and Senior Management in agricultural and life science Universities. In addition, academic/faculty staff and degree programme coordinators are encouraged to participate.

D Forum Organising Committee

Antanas Maziliauskas, Agriculture Academy, Vytautas Magnus University, LT; Julian Park, University of Reading, UK; Arthur Mol, President of ICA & Wageningen University and Research (WUR) NL; and Simon Heath, ICA Deputy Secretary General

Download the Forum flyer

and see the keynote Presentations here

ICA-Edu Colloquium 2022

Exploring the opportunities and challenges of mainstreaming blended learning in Life Sciences Higher Education

 was held on Thursday 19 and Friday 20 May 2022

at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Belgium

See the detailed programme and the keynote presentations

Download the Colloquium programme

A  Colloquium focus

The term blended learning is generally applied to the practice of using digital resources alongside in-person learning experiences when teaching students. Blended-learning practices and experiences may vary widely in design and execution. Improvements in both University curricula and learning technology, together with the impacts of the pandemic means that it is a learning mode that continues to gain momentum and usage. Although the debate around the acceptance and effectiveness of blended learning continues, it is clearly impacting at both the strategic and operational level within Higher Education (HE) Institutes.

The overall aim of this colloquium is to explore the opportunities and challenges of blended learning in life sciences HE through institutional, student and lecturer perspectives. The colloquium re-visits some of the themes from the colloquium held 10 years ago in Bolzano, Italy which focussed on “Educating the Net Generation.”  See the outcomes of that colloquium

B   Colloquium themes

Opportunities and challenges: review of blended learning development over the last five years, the current state of the art and likely trajectories over the next 5 years.

Capabilities and expectations of current students for the delivery of their education experience, particularly reflecting on the blended learning approach. Do students feel well-prepared for a blended approach to learning, does it encourage greater student independence and better prepare graduates for the imodern workplace?

Plenary: What are the characteristics of robust yet flexible blended approaches in terms of university/faculty strategy and curricula practice for on campus students?

C   The Colloquium Outcomes will allow delegates to:

1) Reflect on the opportunities and challenges that the wide-scale adoption of blended learning has highlighted

2) Evaluate the capabilities, expectations/hopes of and impact on students and staff as the “blended model” evolves in the post COVID era.

3) Discuss examples of blended approaches in education practice and the potential implications [pros and cons] for both students and staff.

4) Taking lessons from the colloquium about blended learning to identify next steps for ICA-EDU and note any personal actions from the meeting.

D  Target Audince

The ICA-Edu Colloquium is designed to bring together staff from ICA Member institutions who have a particular interest in developing innovative approaches in teaching and their students learning.

E   Call for Contributions – short interventions as Case Studies

We are calling for Case Study contributions in Sessions 1 and 3, see the programme. You are invited to prepare a 10 minute presentation involving NO MORE than three powerpoint slides. Please submit a brief statement of your intervention to Simon Heath at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by the Tuesday 19 April. You may also prepare a poster to be displayed and discussed throughout the Colloquium. A selection of 4 Case Studies for each session will be selected from those submitted before the deadline.

Session 1 Case Studies: Opportunities and challenges experienced

Session 3 Case studies of university/faculty approaches to mainstreaming blended learning strategies

Please see brief for the Case Studies here

F   Overview of the Programme

The Colloquium is structured around three sessions. In each session there will be keynote presentation(s), selected case study interventions by the Colloquium delegates, then followed by small roundtable discussion groups with report back to the whole Colloquium.  See the detailed Colloquium progamme here  

G   Registration

Details to follow

H   Colloquium Committee

Julian Park, Chair ICA-Edu Executive Committee & Former Pro Vice Chancellor Education and Student Experience, Professor of Agricultural Systems, University of Reading, UK
Teodor Ioan Trasca, Vice Chair ICA-Edu Executive Committee & Head of the Department of Food Technologies, Banat’s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine ‘’King Michael I of Romania’’ from Timisoara, RO
Stefano Cesco, Former Dean, Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano, IT
Kristina Kljak, Vice Dean for for International and Interinstitutional Cooperation, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, HR
Marta Mendel, Vice Rector for International Co-operation, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, PL
Janna Pietikäinen, Vice-Dean for Academic Affairs, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Helsinki, FI
Mieke Uyttendaele, Faculty Director of Education & Internationalisation, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, University of Ghent, BE
Simon Heath, ICA Deputy Secretary General

See the detailed programme and the keynote presentations

Download the Colloquium programme

10th ICA Rectors and Deans Forum 2020 - Online

Agricultural and Life Science Universities Responding to
Covid-19 and the European Green Deal

was held online on Thursday 22 October 2020,
13.30 – 18.00 (Central European Summer Time, CEST)

See the detailed Programme

Download the the full programme

Focus

All our universities have been forced to change in the face of the Covid pandemic that has impacted each of our countries so badly. Covid 19 has affected all aspects of the mission of universities, in education, research, innovation, outreach and also our financial positions. Our universities are adapting to the challenges, and may in future benefit from the positive outcomes of the changes we have been forced to make. Whist financial sustainability is essential, we must continue to strive for excellence in our mission to make a positive difference around us.

In our first Online ICA Forum for Rectors, Deans and Senior Management we will reflect on these challenges that Covid has brought to our universities' missions. The discussions will help to ensure that we are well prepared for the uncertain times ahead. In the next year universities will be faced with the uncertainties posed by the threat of spikes in the occurrence of Covid-19, student recruitment, and research income, and the real possibility of future pandemics.

"Never waste a good crisis to question the norm"

Nonetheless, the pressing challenges of climate change and addressing the 2030 Agenda must still be high on our universities' agendas. The EU has made the first call for projects under the European Green Deal. In the discipline focus of ICA there are a number of important EU strategies underpinning the European Green Deal: the vision of the Farm to Fork Strategy, the Biodiversity Strategy, the Bioeconomy Strategy and the upcoming renewal of the Common Agricultural Policy.

The Forum will have two Sessions:

• We will reflect in the first session on how the experience of the recent Covid-19 lockdown can make our universities better placed to manage the virus in 2021. We will also highlight how the measures taken in lockdown may have a positive impact on our university model in the future.
• In the second session, looking beyond the current crisis, we will engage with the opportunities provided for our agricultural and life science universities by the European Green Deal. In particular, we will focus on the Commission's ambitions of the Farm to Fork Strategy.

Session Format

Each session will have three keynote presentations reflecting on these challenges and opportunities followed by delegate discussions in several online breakout rooms – with 8 to 10 delegates in each breakout room to share experience. Finally, there will be a report back at the end of each session with the possibility to propose future Webinars on particular issues.

See the detailed Programme

Download the the full programme

ICA-Edu Colloquium 2021 Online Action to keep the entrepreneurial genie out of the bottle!  Engaging students with sustainable entrepreneurial education in your curriculum

 was held online each morning from Wednesday 26 May to Friday 28 May 2021

supported by the University of Copenhagen (UCPH),
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), and
Wageningen University (WU)

See the  Action Summary of the Outcomes of the Colloquium

See the detailed programme  & Download the Colloquium flyer

A  Colloquium focus

The new generation of graduates of the agricultural and life sciences are expected to show creativity, resilience, pro-activeness and risk-taking while being able to recognise business opportunities: in short to exhibit entrepreneurship competencies to meet the expectations of their future employers.

Whereas traditionally entrepreneurship education was the domain of business schools to stimulate new venture creation, entrepreneurship education has become more and more a university wide approach in our traditional universities.

The development of an entrepreneurial mind-set and entrepreneurial competence of our students is increasingly dependent on the entrepreneurial experience gained throughout the whole degree programme curriculum.

The goal of this Colloquium is to share views, experiences and practises on how to stimulate the nascent entrepreneurship competencies of our students through both curricular and extra-curricular activities in the agricultural and life sciences.

B   Colloquium themes

The Colloquium follows from the discussions at the 2019 Colloquium. We will further explore the challenge of embedding sustainable entrepreneurial education across the curriculum.

The sessions will address the development of students’ entrepreneurial competences in dedicated curricula and other interventions as a basis for the discussion of developing the required competences across discipline focused curricula.

We will also explore models for student innovation hubs which provide the opportunity for students to turn a business idea into commercial reality in what is often an extra-curricular activity. The experience gained in such hubs supports the development of a student’s entrepreneurial competences. In the final session we will discuss the assessment of the entrepreneurial competences acquired.

C   The Colloquium Outcomes will allow delegates to reflect on:

1) on the wider application of two approaches to embedding sustainable entrepreneurial learning outcomes in dedicated curricula in
2) the role of student innovation hubs in challenging students to apply and further develop their entrepreneurial competences in bringing their business ideas to reality
3) alternative approaches for assessing the success with which students’ have developed their sustainable entrepreneurial competences

D   Registration

There is no registration fee - register here

E   Colloquium Committee

Carsten Nico Hjortsø, Associate Professor at the Unit for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Management, Department of Food and Resource Economics (IFRO), University of Copenhagen, DK
Lisa Ploum, Academic Coordinator Entrepreneurship, Corporate Value Creation, Wageningen University and Research, NL
Barbara Hinterstoisser, Professor at the Department of Material Sciences and Process Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), AT
Andreas Zitek, Teaching and Learning Services, Division of E-Learning and Didactics, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), AT
Simon Heath, ICA Secretary General

See the  Action Summary of the Outcomes of the Colloquium

See the detailed programme & Download the Colloquium flyer

Association for European Life Science Universities (ICA)

The Role of Life Science Universities in Transitioning to
Climate Neutrality and Open Science

 Wednesday 20 October to Friday 22 October 2021
was held at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, KU Leuven, Belgium

See the programme  Download the flyer

The goal of the ICA's Rectors and Deans Forums

This annual ICA Forum for Rectors, Deans and senior management of agricultural and life science universities in Europe aims to provide these university decision makers from ICA's member universities with the opportunity to meet, to discuss current issues in the agricultural and life sciences and to exchange views on issues with relevant stakeholders in industry, government and NGOs.

A  Forum Focus

Addressing the EU’s climate objectives, ensuring food security and the economic sustainability of the actors in the farm to fork food system.

The EU Commission’s proposal is to cut greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by at least 55% compared to 1990 level by 2030 sets Europe on a responsible path to becoming climate neutral by 2050 - no net emissions of greenhouse gases.. Agriculture accounts for 12% of the GHG emissions in Europe, and of that 70% is related to the animal sector. The food system as whole divides emissions into those from food production, food processing and marketing, and food consumption almost equally.

The European Green Deal, launched in December 2019, is the prevailing growth strategy of the EU conceived to help cut emissions while creating jobs. Its application to farming and food systems is detailed in the Bioeocnomy strategy, Farm to Fork Strategy, and the Biodiversity Strategy. Ambitious sustainability goals for agriculture are proposed. The Farm to Fork Strategy, aims by 2030 at reducing the use of chemical pesticides and antimicrobials by 50%, nutrient losses by at least 50% with a 20% reduction in fertiliser use, restoring ecosystems and biodiversity, developing deforestation-free value chain, reaching 25% of land areas devoted to organic farming.

With the focus at the Forum on climate neutrality a number of issues addressed in the EU Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy– those relating to biodiversity, animal welfare, and some aspects of the protection of the environment – will not be addressed explicitly. In addition, the impact of rising temperatures and changing weather patterns on maintaining the water supply to crops and grassland is of concern in relation to the EU’s climate objectives whilst ensuring food security. Thus, agriculture and food systems are deeply involved in both adaptation to climate change and its mitigation.

Open Science

Open Science is the overarching theme which encompasses open access to scientific publications, open data, open education and sometimes citizen science. Open access to scientific publication and research data has been making progress over the past twenty years. The recent EUA report suggests that open access to scientific publications and research data has evolved from a “nice to have” to a “must have”. The EUA survey showed there is a gap between the recognition given to the strategic importance to open science and its implementation on the ground.

There is a need for senior managers at universities to improve the understanding of the benefits, challenges, costs and hurdles in implementing access to open science at all levels in their university. The widely implemented opportunity to the shared access of scientific publications and research data across the research community between and from life science universities will greatly contribute to the ambitions of the EU Farm to Fork Strategy by 2030 and the achievement of climate neutrality in Europe by 2050.

B  Aims of the Forum

The Forum will explore the challenge of developing food systems which will result in the reduction in GHG emissions from agriculture through delivering more food from crops, less food from animals with a consequent reduction in globally required land area for food production and an increase in land for re-afforestation for greater carbon sequestration.

The implementation of such food systems depends not only on the science and technology but also on maintaining the economic viability of the industries and promoting social change in the consumption of sustainable diets.

What are the opportunities and benefits for substituting spatially extended and linear food systems with local circular food systems, whilst at the same time ensuring food security in Europe? A circular food system produces healthy food using natural, regenerative, soil-supporting growing practices. Any by-products or waste can create additional new food, fabrics or bioenergy inputs

In support of the aim of developing innovative food systems through research and innovation the Forum will also explore strategies for the effective implementation of open access to scientific publications and data in our universities.

In all Sessions the keynotes will highlight the opportunities for life science universities to engage with the challenges and issues raised. The discussion will highlight the opportunity for ICA to engage in Brussels and with our stakeholders for the benefit of ICA’s members in contributing to the achievement of the EU Farm to Fork Strategy by 2030 and climate neutrality in Europe by 2050.

C Expected outcomes

The delegates will take back to their universities their reflections on

• their university’s policy on research addressing the multiple dimensions of the bioeconomy to deliver outcomes to support the achievement of the EU Farm to Fork Strategy by 2030 and the need to reach climate neutrality by 2050
• the scope of their current degree programmes to address the multiple challenges of a sustainable bioeconomy
• their current strategic approach and implementation of open science in their institution

D  Target Audience

The forum is primarily aimed at Rectors, Presidents, Deans and Senior Management in agricultural and life science Universities. In addition, academic/faculty staff and degree programme coordinators are encouraged to participate.

E Forum Organising Committee

Jos Van Orshoven, ICA Board Member & Dean Bioscience Engineering, KU Leuven, Simon Heath, ICA Secretary General, and Arthur Mol, President of ICA & Rector Magnificus Wageningen University and Research (WUR)

See the outline programme

Download the flyer

9th ICA Rectors and Deans Forum 2019

Collaboration between European & African Life Science Universities
for a Sustainable Future

Wednesday 23 October to Friday 25 October 2019
to be held at UniLaSalle – Campus de Beauvais, 16 rue Pierre Waguet, Beauvais, FR

Download the Summary of the Forum outcomes

See the detailed programme

The goal of the ICA Rectors and Deans Forums
This annual Forum for Rectors, Deans and senior management of agricultural and life science universities aims to provide these university decision makers from ICA's member universities with the opportunity to meet, to discuss current issues in the agricultural and life sciences and to exchange views on issues with relevant stakeholders in industry, government and NGOs. This Forum follows the successful Forums from 2011 to 2018.

A The Forum Focus 2019
The Forum will look ahead to 2030 exploring the opportunities and mutual benefits for collaboration between European and African agricultural and life science universities for addressing the challenges of developing a sustainable future. We will review the current challenges facing our universities, and the success of the current engagements in supporting capacity development. We will foresee the enhanced contribution to our sustainable future by agricultural and life science universities by 2030 through striving towards the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals Agenda. In doing so we will examine the potential for African and European agricultural and life science universities to strengthen their collaboration for their mutual gain.

B Expected Outcomes
1. Identified mutual benefits that can be gained from the collaboration between European and African life science universities.
2. A renewed focus to on-going activities and new opportunities to address the global challenges through collaborative ventures between European and African agricultural and life science universities for the benefit of society, and mutual benefit for all the collaborating parties.
3. Initiation of new relationships between African and European like-minded agricultural and life science universities.

C Target Audience
The Forum seeks to attract those who are responsible for strategic decision making in Universities /Faculties of Agricultural and Life Sciences. The ICA and AGRINATURA Boards invites Rectors, Vice Rectors and Deans, or persons of equivalent status in their university, college, school or faculty being responsible for education, research, innovation and outreach to participate in the Forum.
All staff are invited, who are active in collaborating between our agricultural and life science universities across the two continents, to interact with our Rectors, Deans and senior management to help develop the strategy of universities in collaborating for a sustainable future.

D Forum Partners
The Board of the Association for European Life Science Universities (ICA), and the Board of The European Alliance on Agricultural Knowledge for Development (AGRINATURA) with the support of CIRAD (The French agricultural research and international cooperation organization working for the sustainable development of tropical and Mediterranean regions)

See the detailed programme

UniLaSalle, Beauvais Campus