Five new INREF initiatives granted

Planetary Health

The Seed Money Proposal Transdisciplinary change for Planetary Health: co-designing strategies to reduce toxic chemical exposures’ seeks to set up a consortium of researchers and non-academic stakeholders who will collaborate to develop a transdisciplinary proposal for a project that aims to co-design strategies for addressing cumulative toxicities through citizen sensing,. The ambition is to develop a tool kit containing easy-to-use, affordable, fast, and ‘actionable’ on-site tests to measure toxicants in food, water, air and soil and to develop tools to mitigate chemical harm. This project aligns with the research aims of KB 35, Water and Food Security, and will deliver innovative applied research that has the potential for value creation.

All approved seed money proposals

• Transdisciplinary Experiments for Planetary Health: Co-designing Strategies to Reduce Toxic Chemical Exposures (including KB multiplier). Project leader: Anita Hardon
• HARMONIC: Enhancing Agrobiodiversity by Mobilizing Minor Crops in Europe and Internationally Promoting collaborative work to foster the integration of minor crop systems. Project leader: Eric Schranz
• One ecosystem – two paths – understanding the complex dynamics of socio-ecological systems in Asian Drylands: a transdisciplinary approach. Project leader: Kirsten de Beurs
• Mobilising midstream actors in informal food markets to enhance food system outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa (including KB multiplier). Project leader: Paul Ingenbleek
• Area Based Conservation Futures under the 30x30 Initiative (ABC Futures). Project leader: Bas Verschuuren

INREF becomes Wageningen Global Sustainability Programme

Since 2000 WUR has invested in INREF, the Interdisciplinary Research & Education Fund. After a positive evaluation the Executive Board decided to invest in a fifth phase, but with a new name, the Wageningen Global Sustainability Programme. This new name gives a better indication of what the programme stands for, global sustainable development. Interdisciplinarity still plays a dominant role, as all research proposals need to be developed by partners from different disciplines. The complex challenges we face, such as climate change, biodiversity loss and healthy diet for all, are all interrelated, and require policies and innovations that consider the synergies and trade-offs between different activities. Read more

KB Multiplier

This year the INREF call for seed money proposals was extended with a KB Multiplier. Projects that included contributions from WR that align with the KB criteria could receive additional funding . Two of the five approved INREF Seed money proposals also received this KB multiplier stimulating the collaboration between Wageningen University and Wageningen Research.