Transnational Cooperation

SafefoodERA

FCT was a member of the SAFEFOODERA, Coordination Action (CA) supported by the European Commission with the aims to strengthen the European scientific base and to support the structuring of the European Research Area (ERA). This ERA-NET involved 24 funding agencies, from 19 countries, and closed on May 31^st 2009.

SAFEFOODERA launched two transnational calls in food safety.

1^st Call

The SAFEFOODERA 1^st pilot call for proposals in 2006 funded R&D projects on the following topics:

Assessment of information for the identification of emerging risks;
Pathogen free food production chain;
Foodborne Zoonoses.

The participating countries and regions in the 1^st call were: Basque Country, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, The Netherlands, The Nordic Region, UK.

In the 1^st call 24 proposals were submitted. The Independent Panel of Experts recommended funding for 2 proposals, with participation of 3 Portuguese teams. The total budget for the 1^st call was approximately 2.3 M €, and FCT financed 60.000€, for projects with maximum duration of 1 year.

The funded projects from the 1^st call with Portuguese participation were:

MYCONET, with portuguese participation from Marina Martins (LNIV), and a budget of 30.000€;
Foodborne zoonoses - Campylobacter and E. coli - a network project (CampEc-NET), with portuguese participation from Maria João Fraqueza (UTL) and Jorge Machado (INSRJ), with a total budget of 30.000€.

2^nd Call

The SAFEFOODERA 2^nd call for proposals in 2008 included the following nine topics concerning food safety:

Detection of Traces of Allergens in Food;
Bioactive Ingredients;
Chemical;
Food Contaminants;
Emerging Risk;
GMO – Development of screening methods of GMO;
MRSA/Antibiotic Resistance;
Risk-Benefit Analysis;
Risk Assessment of Food-Borne Pathogens;
Traceability.

The participating countries and regions in the 2^nd call were: Basque Country, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, The Netherlands, The Nordic Region and UK.

In the 2^nd call, 24 proposals were submitted, 7 of which were recommended for funding by an Independent Panel of Experts. The total budget for this call was approximately 6 M €, and FCT financed 2 projects, with a maximum duration of 2 years, with a total of 200.000€.

The funded projects from the 2^nd call with Portuguese participation were:

Bio-Availability and risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and toxic elements (As, Cd, Hg and Pb) in processed meat and seafood products, led in Portugal by António Marques (IPIMAR), with a budget of 100.000€;
Risk assessment of Listeria in traditional ready-to-eat food items, led by Yolanda Vaz (Fac. Medicina Veterinária) and Isabel Fernandes (INRB), with a total budget of 100.000€.