Chic Innovation Consortium - Art Science Node

ABOUT CHIC

ASN/ASSF is a partner in the CHIC Innovation Consortium. CHIC is a research and innovation project supported through the EU Horizon 2020 funding program.

AIM

CHIC is a research and innovation project. It aims at the establishment of a responsible innovation pathway for the development and application of New Plant Breeding Techniques (NPBTs) for root chicory as a multipurpose crop for the production of high-value consumer products, in line with societal needs and concerns. CHIC is the €7.3 million project supported through the EU Horizon 2020 funding program. As a project CHIC aims also to explore the interactions between technological potential and societal acceptance of modern plant breeding.

PARTNERS

The consortium includes 17 partners: three SME partners, an industrial partner as well as non-profit organizations and research institutes. Partners are located in 10 different European member states, one associated member state (Serbia) and in New Zealand. CHIC Consortium consists of researchers, subject matter experts and artists involved in the development & broad dissemination of the research on the root chicory. They share their knowledge & experience and are learning from each other, all in an effort to advance toward the goal of implementing NPBT’s in chicory.

OBJECTIVES

OBJECTIVE I

Implementation of new plant breeding techniques (NPBTs)
in chicory (Cichorium intybus L.)

The Consortium aims at developing four different new plant breeding techniques. They are supposed to be used to steer bioprocesses in chicory and mobilize its under-explored potential to produce dietary prebiotics that stimulates gut health (inulin) and medicinal terpenes from chicory.

OBJECTIVE II

Development of co-innovation pathways with stakeholders for game-changing technologies, such as new plant breeding techniques

Four different new plant breeding technologies are being assessed with respect to technological potential, risks, regulatory framework and socio-economic impacts. This is done via consultation with different industry and society stakeholders.

OBJECTIVE III

Implementation of innovative communication tools and means to improve interaction with the public

A set of innovative communication tools including cultural communication and linking art to science are used to improve communication and understanding of NPBTs by the stakeholders, policymakers as well as the public at large. This in effect will enable informed decision making.

ASN & THE CHIC CONSORTIUM

Consider the role of art in the interaction between science and the public. Perception and understanding of science and scientific facts through the eyes of art & culture can greatly benefit our evolving society of knowledge. Art creates social and cultural cohesion between science and the public. Not only is artistic experimentation & performance one of the multiple tools of communication, but also an innovative and unique instrument for disseminating knowledge.

Thus ASN has joined CHIC Consortium and works on the development of the CHIC Project’s innovative, art & culture based communication strategy, in order to reach all types of audiences: researchers, industry and farmers, policymakers and consumers. ASN contributes to the CHIC project through an innovative communication strategy of art and science synergy, giving artists and cultural actors an opportunity to work at the forefront of science and innovation.

The ASN program aims to link scientific research and ideas with approaches used in digital art, fostering interdisciplinary work towards an exchange of cultures and milieus.

Both science and art are human attempts to understand and describe the world around us. Art can not only provide the audience with information but also elicit visceral, emotional responses and engage the imagination in ways that prompt action and a positive attitude towards complex topics that could be difficult to explain with scientific notions.

CHIC ARTISTS IN RESIDENCIES

Two artistic residencies at partners research institutes/ organizations were foreseen to be performed for the whole period of the project’s implementation. For that purpose, ASN has selected artists who applied through a competitive application process. Artists were selected based on the detailed descriptions and sketches of their proposed artworks, and their experience and engagement within the art-science environment.

The chosen artists – the artistic duets of Jill Scott & Marille Hahne and Anna Dumitriu & Alex May – are all deeply committed to the aims of linking scientific research and ideas with approaches used in digital art, fostering interdisciplinary work toward an exchange of cultures and milieus. Their projects – Aftertaste & Biotechnology from the Blue Flower – are planned as interactive, multimedia experiences, incorporating best practices in science-based art.

Jill Scott & Marille Hahne – AFTERTASTE

Anna Dumitriu & Alex May – Biotechnology from the Blue Flower

CHIC PROJECT’S TIMELINE

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