In mid-October 2023, the PathFinder consortium gathered together in Göttingen, Germany, for the second in-person consortium meeting. Partners from all across the continent came together to discuss project progress, co-design future work, and assist each other where needed. It was the second in-person meeting after the kick-off that took place in October 2022 in Ås, Norway.
All partners presented their progress on their respective tasks across all 6 Work Packages (WP). We were able to go in-depth into each WP, understand their challenges that were resolved over the past year, look at some concrete results (e.g. field guide, maps, figures, etc.), and understand the work that needs to be done over the next year (and sometimes even longer).
“We are glad that also a number of our stakeholders had the opportunity to participate in co-creation workshops led by WP leaders. This is essential, as developing, planning, and undertaking work with inputs from partners from all across the continent is needed to reach the overall aims of the PathFinder project.” says Johannes Breidenbach, coordinator of the PathFinder project at NIBIO.
The in-person aspect of the meeting also allowed partners to socialise at the social activities that were planned by our hosts, the University of Göttingen. The meeting took place near the historical observatory of the university, right next to where famous mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss worked. These activities strengthen the bond between partners, as they reinforce the human aspect of EU projects, fostering collaboration (both in the short- and long-term) among partners. If partners know each other better, the work gets better together.
A field visit also took place, in a nearby forest from the university. Our hosts presented the field plot where they undertook their research, showcasing their strategies, tools, methods, and results they have so far developed as part of the project. It was particularly interesting to go into the field, and see the concrete aspect of what is being done, quite literally, on the ground. This way, in combination with all aspects of the meeting, partners were able to understand the interconnections between international, regional, and local impacts of the project.
Finally, the meeting concluded by setting in place the next project meeting, in October 2024, which will be in Brussels, Belgium, hosted by the Flemish Institute for Nature and Forest Research (Instituut voor Natuur- en Bosonderzoek). Please find below photos of the meeting, and make sure to follow us on X/Twitter for more regular updates: @EuPathFinder
