BCFN YOUNG EARTH SOLUTIONS! ~ BCFN YES! ~ 2012 CALL FOR YOUNG STUDENTS AND RESEARCHERS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN IDEA THAT PROMOTES SUSTAINABILITY IN THE FOOD SECTOR
1.
The Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition (BCFN)
The Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition (BCFN) is a center of multidisciplinary analysis and proposals which aims to explore the major issues related to food and nutrition on a global scale. Created in 2009, BCFN intends to listen to the demands emerging from society today by gathering experience and qualified expertise on a worldwide level and promoting a continuous and open dialogue. The complexity of the phenomena under investigation has made it necessary to adopt a methodology that goes beyond the boundaries of different disciplines. These topics under study are broken down into four areas: Sustainable Growth for Food, Food for Health, Food for All and Food for Culture. The areas of analysis involve science, the environment, culture and the economy; within these areas, BCFN explores topics of interest, suggesting proposals to meet the food challenges of the future. For more information, visit: http://www.barillacfn.com
2.
Overview
Access to food is fundamental and foremost among the rights of a person. Where food is not sufficient, there is no basis for a dignified life and the right to health and peaceful coexistence ceases to exist. Based on this awareness, BCFN’s interest in issues pertaining to food continues into its fourth year, through intensive research aimed at being continuously aware of these emergencies and making proposals and recommendations to global decision makers. This is a commitment to maintaining an open dialogue with institutions, research, companies, leading experts and companies and we invite everyone to participate and make their own
contribution. BCFN firmly believes that analysis, sharing and discussion are the best paths along which to promote change and to plan a better future for humanity and our planet. These are the premises through which BCFN YES aims to actively promote the development of fresh ideas providing concrete contributions and solutions on pressing issues for individuals and society as a whole.
3.
BCFN YOUNG EARTH SOLUTIONS! (BCFN YES!)
BCFN YOUNG EARTH SOLUTIONS! (BCFN YES!) was created in order to give a podium to young and brilliant ideas on issues related to food as part of the 4th annual Forum, to be held in Milan on November 28 and 29, 2012 and which will feature debates and discussions with leading international experts. One of the discussions scheduled for the 2012 forum will be on the presentation and assessment of the best ideas presented by local and international students.
3.1
Objective of the Award
Students interested in participating in BCFN YES! must present their idea on Food and Sustainability: how to reduce our impact on the environment, while securing health and access to food for all.
The issue can be approached starting from the one or more of the various academic areas, adopting BCFN’s typical interdisciplinary approach when necessary. Following are examples of the research areas for proposals:
Nutrition, health and life sciences
Marketing and distribution
International relations
Media
Supply Chain and agriculture
Education and cross-cultural studies
New technologies
Ideas must be presented for assessment in a brief essay (of up to 1000 words) and shall include the following elements: 1.
The specific problem (connected to the theme of the competition) which will be dealt with, the country or countries and/or geographic area which the analysis refers to;
2.
The essential data (economic, environmental, social) pertaining to the specific situation.
3.
The idea proposed as a solution to the problem under (1)
4.
Technical and economic elements in order to assess the feasibility of the idea under point (3).
3.2.
Inclusion Criteria
Individual students or teams consisting of up to 3 persons may participate in BCFN YES. All participants must be university students from any faculty and year and from any country, who are under the age of 30 on October 30, 2012.
3.3.
How to participate
Participation in BCFN YES is free of charge Participants must register starting from June 18, 2012 until August 20, 2012 using the form on the website www.BCFNYES.com. Following application for participation in BCFN YES and acceptance of this regulation and all its terms and conditions, the registration procedure will be completed with activation of the participant’s account which will allow him/her access to a reserved area. In this area, participants can download all material from BCFN for the development of their idea or upload their own proposal. For groups consisting of several participants, only one upload will be allowed by the group leader.
Specifically, the following information must be provided: a)
the name of the team leader and any other team members;
b)
the University and country;
c)
the title of the idea;
d)
an abstract of the idea (max 200 words);
e)
a file containing a description of the idea which must:
contain at most 1000 words
be written in English
Clear and simple formatting (smallest font 12 Arial );
Maximum size 10 Mb;
f)
It must be complete (not requiring the addition of any other attachments);
g)
File name:
SubjectArea_Name_FamilyName (of Group Leader)
It is not necessary for the registration on the BCFN YES site and the upload of the proposal to be identical, since you can use your password to access the reserved area at any time to complete or modify data and materials up to August 20, 2012.
3.4
Selection process
Stage one. All proposals that have arrived by August 20, 2012 will be analyzed by a jury consisting of experts appointed by BCFN and its Advisory Board. The selection of ideas shall take place based on the documentation attached to the application and will involve the assignment of specific points leading to a ranking. The criteria will be:
The social impact of an idea (max 50/100 points). That is, to what extent the
solution, as presented and if actually implemented, can positively affect the well-being of people and the environment. Ideas which when implemented can involve larger segments of the population and contribute to the solution of major environmental problems.
Originality and innovation (max 30/100 points): to what extent the idea can be
considered as truly innovative in its area, in the sense that it does not require similar solutions that have already been implemented, uses new and unusual technologies and approaches for the issue at hand and which, when implemented, will not be easy for other market players to compete with.
Concreteness and feasibility (max 20/100 points): based on the information and
data presented an initial assessment will be made of the project from an economic and organizational viewpoint. The jury may also take into account for its assessment the differing scientific-disciplinary and geographic origin of the team members, favoring mixed international or inter-disciplinary groups, all other elements being equal.
The jury will classify all projects submitted and select by October 1, 2012, the 10 best “semifinalists.” These 10 individuals or teams will be contacted via email and invited to the IV Annual Forum on Food and Nutrition (to be held in Milan at Università L. Bocconi on November 28 and 29 2012 and expenses paid by BCFN YES) to present their project within a specific workshop. Posters will be created for the 30 best project proposals, including the 10 that will be presented live. These posters will be exhibited in the premises in which the BCFN Forum will be held; the participants (individuals or teams) in the remaining 20 projects selected can be present, at their own expense, during the two days in order to present their ideas during the poster session. The participants will be able to show their work and informally present it to the interested public during the poster session. The conference organizers will be in charge of printing the posters. Participants must send final files by October 30, 2012.
Stage Two. During the discussion on November 28, 2012, the 10 selected participants (individuals or teams) will present, using the medium of their preference (power point, video, etc.), for a maximum of 10 minutes. The three BCFN YES “finalists” (individuals or teams) will be identified and called based on the ranking given to them by the scientific jury, according to the aforementioned parameters. Participants’ (individuals or teams) presenting skills will also be considered among the parameters as will the televotes of users connected through live streaming during the presentation. The “best on the web” participant will also be announced at this time.
Stage Three. The three finalists (individuals or teams) will therefore be asked to present their idea as part of the plenary session in the BCFN Forum to be held on November 29, 2012 at which time the Advisory Board will select the best idea which will then be proclaimed the “winner” of BCFN YES 2012. Abstracts of all the project ideas will be posted onwww.BCFNYES.com so that anyone can vote for the best idea. The idea that receives the most votes online will be named “best on the web.” 4.
Awards
All participants will have the option of being included with their name and the abstract of their idea on the BCFN YES! website. Each of the 10 semifinalists (individuals or teams) will be fully covered for the travel and hotel expenses for the entire duration of the 4th International BCFN Forum, to be held in Milan on November 28 and 29, 2012. The forum is an annual global event on the significant issues of food and nutrition. Last year over 2,000 persons and more than 50 presenters participated from the scientific, academic and institutional world. The winner of the BCFN YES! 2012 edition, in addition to presenting his/her idea at the 4th International Forum and receive a prize of Euro 1,000.00 (one thousand), will also have the option of participating in a BCFN research project in 2013 in one of the following four areas: Food for sustainable growth, Food for all, Food for health and Food for culture. Any cost incurred by the winner as a result of his/her collaboration with the Advisory Board and/or with the BCFN scientific working group, in relation to the project he/she will participate in (i.e. telephone costs, travel and/or accommodation to participate in any meeting), will be fully supported by BCFN. The winner’s name will also be inserted in the relative publication.
5.
Legal Aspects
Each participant must ensure that the work is original and has been conceived and developed legitimately, through written text, data, images and information collected and used pursuant to applicable laws. In particular, each participant shall guarantee that the work does not violate any intellectual property or other third party rights and is not burdened
with and third party rights that could in any way restrict or compromise its exhibition or publication on any medium by BCFN or entities appointed by it.
Release, transfer of rights, personal data, original work
By submitting the project, participants declare that all the information provided is true and that they accept the decisions of the Jury. 1. Upon registration, the participants must sign the text consenting to the use of their personal data (first and last name and email address) and provide a release and transfer of rights pertaining to the use of their contributions. 2. When the 30 best projects are selected (individuals or teams), the 30 individuals or teams will be required to sign a release on paper (as the release proving the transferal of rights to use the submitted work and the consent to use a participant’s personal photograph must be in writing). These releases must contain: -
Authorization for the use of the contents, as indicated in the call for proposals (i.e.,
publication on the website and the poster, in digital and hard copy form, exhibited in the forum premises) and, in general, the transferal of the relative economic usage rights; -
The contributions will be used together with the personal data (first and last name and
photograph) of the participant; -
Participants guarantee the originality of the contribution and that all third party rights
were respected in the collection of the information/data (economic, social and environmental) used for the essay. For more information: bcfnyes@barillacfn.com