On October 17-18, Brussels hosted the COST Connect event, “Agriculture and Its Products.” This gathering brought together policymakers, stakeholders, and more than 40 researchers from 20 COST Actions to discuss agricultural research and policies. Prof. António Manuel Teixeira Monteiro from the University of Lisbon, Dr. Irene Christoforidi from the Hellenic Mediterranean University and Dr. Somaye Latifi from the Federal Institute of Agricultural Economics, Rural and Mountain Research (BAB) represented MARGISTAR at the event.
MARGISTAR is launching its second Short-Term Scientific Mission call for mobilities occurring between January 25th, 2025 until May 31st, 2025. All applications must be made before the deadline on January 6th, 2025, and all activities must occur before May 31st, 2025.
MARGISTAR is launching its third call for Dissemination Conference Grants for mobilities occurring between January 25th, 2025 until May 31st, 2025. All applications must be made before the deadline on January 6th, 2025, and all activities must occur before May 31st, 2025.
MARGISTAR is launching its third call for for Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC) Conference Grants for mobilities occurring between January 25th, 2025 until May 31st, 2025. All applications must be made before the deadline on January 6th, 2025, and all activities must occur before May 31st, 2025.
MARGISTAR is launching its first call for Virtual Mobility Grants for mobilities occurring between January 25th, 2025 until May 31st, 2025. All applications must be made before the deadline on January 6th, 2025, and all activities must occur before May 31st, 2025.
The recent MARGISTAR Extended Core Group meeting in Sofia gathered leaders from the project’s working groups to assess progress, address ongoing challenges, and outline plans for the next phase of the COST Action. Participants engaged in productive discussions, generating fresh ideas for enhancing community engagement and improving dissemination efforts. Among the key topics was the presentation of case studies and the launch of new tools to support sustainable development. A field visit to Gabrene showcased how local communities are successfully integrating cultural heritage with environmental sustainability to revitalise the region.
Recently, MARGISTAR’s Vladimir Stojanovski had the opportunity to participate in a Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) at the Bulgarian Academy of Science’s Forest Research Institute in Sofia, Bulgaria. This STSM was linked to MARGISTAR’s tasks in that it aimed to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange on sustainable forestry and rural development. As a researcher focused on the socio-economic aspects of forestry in marginalised regions, particularly in North Macedonia and South-West Bulgaria, this mission was a pivotal experience in his academic and professional journey.
In this blog, I report my personal experience at the Futures of Natural Resources Conference and reflect on the transformative ways researchers can participate in conferences to achieve the biggest possible positive research and outreach benefits and the least possible negative social-ecological impact.
From June 5 to 7, MARGISTAR’s Anita Busljeta Tonkovic for the fourth time visited the Rural Entrepreneurship Conference at the University of Leeds, England. Although the conference location changes annually, it is host to a regular group of academics who Anita has been meeting and maintaining international scientific collaborations with for years. Read about Anita’s experiences and how these have changed since her first visit as a postdoctoral researcher in 2016.
In the period from May 13 to 17, MARGISTAR’s Tamara Jovanović and Igor Ponjiger visited the region of Lika, Croatia. They were invited by the Gospić branch of the Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar and Velebit Nature Park. Over the course of five days, they achieved their scientific goals and got to know a fascinating part of Croatia that is often overlooked. Because their research and interests are closely tied and they have in the past collaborated on several papers within MARGISTAR, they decided to take the trip during the same period. Read on for more about their mission and the experiences they had.