Preparatory Phase
METROFOOD-PP (METROFOOD-RI Preparatory Phase Project - H2020 INFRADEV-02-2019, GA 871083) represents the project specifically dedicated to the realisation of the Preparatory Phase of METROFOOD-RI (01 Dec 2019 - 31 May 2022). It was aimed at supporting METROFOOD-RI to grow from its current status to a mature, centrally-coordinated, integrated RI, with the legal, financial, and technical maturity required for implementing it.
The main objective was to develop the organizational, operational and strategic framework of METROFOOD-RI. To this end, a wide Consortium of 20 Beneficiaries and 28 Linked Third Parties (GA Art.14) from 18 Countries has worked over a period of 30 months - in cooperation with the potential funding agencies and interested stakeholders - to organise the Infrastructure as a ready-to-implementation and ready to-operation service-oriented organisation, reaching all the agreements necessary for obtaining a legal status as an ERIC (European Research Infrastructure Consortium) and ensuring the long-term sustainability.
Activities include legal, governance, financial, technical, strategic, and administrative aspects carried out in 15 work packages, divided into three macro-objectives:
- organise the legal entity that will manage the RI;
- define the operation and the operational standards at the level of the whole RI and for the National Nodes, as well as the role of the RI as a service-oriented organisation;
- define the long-term activities for the future RI and update the Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda, in response to the actual and future challenges in the agrifood sector and for the Society.
Furthermore, the links with other major European and global RIs and organisations were strengthened, for better integrating the infrastructure in the research infrastructure ecosystem. The main outcome was the establishment of legal and financial commitment for the future ERIC, ensuring long-term common commitment, decision-making, and funding engagement.
