When the "research" is communicated: Agroinnova, an Italian excellence in bio-security
On the one hand there is the journalist, who finds it difficult to find information and make it accessible to his readers. On the other hand there are the scientific institutes, not very accustomed to approaching correctly and constantly with the media. Often, university research in the agri-food sector is not communicated externally or is communicated incorrectly or partially, a problem that the Festival of Food Journalism is determined to face in a debate, to which important personalities of the sector will take part.
Among these, the professor Maria Lodovica Gullino, a life dedicated to research and today Director of Agroinnova, Competence Center for agro-environmental innovation, activated in the 2002 at the University of Turin. An Italian excellence operating in the field of basic and applied research, knowledge and technology transfer, lifelong learning and communication in the agro-environmental and agri-food sectors, which has become a leader in Italy and in Europe in the field of organic -safety. "In the last 10 years we have taken part in 25 European projects, over half of them coordinated directly by us " - Professor Gullino confirmed.
The last coordinated project, in order of time, is PLANTFOODSEC, launched in the 2011 with the aim of creating a Center of Competence at international level on biosecurity issues in the agri-food sector, which involved world experts from Italy, France, Germany, Hungary, United Kingdom, USA, Israel and Turkey. The results of the five-year PLANTFOODSEC works were presented in Brussels last January, during a dedicated workshop: a wide range of tools to address the threats to agriculture, crops and the agro-food industry in Europe.
An important success, the result of the decision to strengthen itself in the organizational area and of the Project Managing, of the passion shown by the researchers of the Center, starting with Professor Gullino, which directs them, and also of an attention to communication not common to the sector. On the occasion of PLANTFOODSEC, Agroinnova relied on three communication partners, including an agency dedicated exclusively to media relations. Moreover, in recent months, it has organized two training sessions for journalists, in collaboration with the Order of Journalists of Piedmont, for tell the health of plants.
"Communication is a fundamental aspect - Professor Gullino specifies - "Often we researchers are not very receptive in this area, we prefer to remain closed in our laboratory, we do not have the courage to answer journalists' questions or take on too much responsibility". For this reason they become important moments of confrontation and debate "Events like the Food Journalism Festival can be very useful, because they allow journalists to understand how we work and, to us, to understand how a journalist works"
