Wanglin, Rob and Greg, as representatives of M-NEX, participated in the Kick-off meeting of SUGI-Nexus (Sustainable Urban Global Initiative: Food-Water-Energy Nexus) at the Belmont Forum/JPI-Urban Europe at Clerkenwell Green, London, June 11-12, 2018. The kick-off meeting brought together more than 45 delegates (15 proects were approved and granted, out of 88 full proposals). This was the first time the Belmont Forum has hosted a kick-off event for a new research program.
The two day meeting was interactive and insightful. A cavalcade session was organized following the opening and the introduction of SUGI-Nexus. Each group delivered a 2 minute pitch with two slides summarizing the essential ideas oof their project. Delegates were then separated into 9 groups and the Internet tool, mentimeter, was used to distribute questions and collect answers for a panel discussion in real-time.
Through broad discussions the delegates and staff shared the scope and mission of the SUGI-Nexus program, exchanged ideas, discussed key elements needed for successful management of the project (leadership, collaboration and stakeholders), and explored possible opportunities that might be used to bridge across the typical silos of FEW management.
