The FLIARA consortium convened its final monthly Link Meeting this week, bringing together partners from across Europe to assess progress across all work packages as the EU-funded project enters its concluding phase. The one-hour online format, used consistently throughout the project, was credited again for keeping coordination efficient and focused.
Speaking at the opening of the meeting, the coordination team reflected on the role these regular sessions have played in keeping the consortium on track, led by Project Coordinator Associate Professor Maura Farrell and Louise Weir, FLIARA Principal Project Manager from the University of Galway. While acknowledging that monthly gatherings can be demanding, participants agreed that the format has strengthened collaboration and helped maintain momentum throughout the project’s lifecycle.
The final Link Meeting reviewed progress across several key areas, including
- WP4, led by ECOLISE, focusing on the development of FLIARA’s Community of Practice network;
- WP5, led by Delft University of Technology, addressing policy design and assessment;
- WP6, led by Consulta Europa, centred on communication, dissemination and exploitation; and
- WP7, coordinated by the University of Galway, overseeing project management and reporting procedures.
WP6, coordinated by Consulta Europa, provided updates on ongoing visibility activities, the FLIARA Final Conference, and final reporting tasks such as the update of the FLIARA website, preparing the last series of social media campaigns, and coordinating the internal editorial process for end-of-project deliverables, including the final dissemination and exploitation report.
WP4, led by ECOLISE, reported a series of major updates. The team also confirmed that the fourth and final FLIARA Community of Practice online meeting will take place on 17 November, with registration required due to its internal nature.
The consortium also reviewed progress on the FLIARA Toolkit, coordinated by ECOLISE, the University of Galway and Consulta Europa and supported by contributions from all partners.
WP7 highlighted that FLIARA has officially entered its final reporting period, with the project due to close on 31 December. Partners were encouraged to remain aligned on deliverables and internal review procedures, particularly for reports involving cross-package collaboration.
WP5 was also featured in discussions regarding final elaborations of the Policy Booklet. Throughout the meeting, several recent achievements were acknowledged, including FLIARA’s presence at an OECD event in Paris and the publication of new academic work by project partners.
Partners also reviewed progress on the forthcoming FLIARA book, Women-Led Innovation in Agriculture and Rural Areas: Seeds of Change in Europe, to be published by Edward Elgar Publishing. Reviewer feedback has been strongly positive.
As the session closed, the coordination team thanked all work package leads—including WP1, WP4, WP5, WP6 and WP7—for maintaining momentum during a demanding period of final deliverables. The meeting ended with a final group photo, continuing a long-standing FLIARA tradition, before partners prepare for the project’s final General Assembly in December.