With SCAF nearing its second anniversary, the focus was very much on continuing to highlight the diversity of careers across the SCAF membership, showcasing, this month, Prof Nick Jonsson who shared his journey from being a veterinary surgeon, academic researcher, and consultant to working in policy with the Food Standards Agency (FSA). The webinar was hosted by the SCAF Early Career Network, which incidentally will be recruiting new members in the near future - call to follow. With 58 attendees, this was a particularly popular session, with Nick outlining how scientists can engage with the FSA and the potential benefits of doing so. The recording of the session is available here alongside previous SCAF webinar recordings. We are keen to continue showcasing career track diversity - check our member spotlights here and submit your own here. 

Another upcoming opportunity to celebrate not only the diversity, but also the creativity of the Alliance, will be the showcasing of the creativity of those who entered the 2024 art & photography competition "Food for Thought: Capturing the Big Picture", and the announcement of the investment in research projects from our third round of Pump Priming awards. 

The 30 photo competition entries from people of all ages across Scotland creatively explore perspectives on food - including its identity, culture, place, and connections between people and research topics. Thank you to our panel of SCAF judges who evaluated the entries, with prize winners to be announced in March. 

The third round of our Pump Priming Awards, which mark another step in our commitment to prime future research or innovation, received seven proposals, currently under review by a panel of SCAF reviewers. To support the panellist through the evaluation process, SCAF hosted two grant panel trainings this month (to register interest in taking part in the next round, please register here). Watch out for the announcement of the funded project in April.  

In the meantime, the SCAF team has kept busy, planning future events and activities – including the development of our Academy of Citizens (AoC), aiming to provide lived experience input into the research process, plans for our second annual event in the autumn, and developing a collaborative event with our sister Quantum Technologies Alliance on the interface between quantum solutions and food innovation in June.

First published: 3 February 2025

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