A Stakeholder Engagement Approach for Identifying Future Research Directions in the Evaluation of Current and Emerging Applications of GMOs

For which topic were research priorities identified?

genetically modified organisms

In which location was the research priority setting conducted?

international

Why was it conducted at all?

The yield of several commodity crops is provided in large part by genetically modified crops in North and South America. However, reservations exist in Europe due to possible negative effects on human health or environment.

What was the objective?

to engage European stakeholders into the formulation of future common research needs regarding the effects of the possible adoption of commercially available and forthcoming genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the areas of socio-economics, human and animal health, and environment

What was the outcome?

a list of 23 research topics

How long did the research prioritization take?

No information provided.

Which methods were used to identify research priorities?

survey; workshop

How were the priorities for research identified exactly?

Step 1: literature review: to get an overview of existing research activities and knowledge. Step 2: survey: participants were asked to identify the main research questions across GM species/traits and effects. Step 3: workshop: preliminary results were shared and discussed, participants were encouraged to submit modifications to existing research questions or add new ones

Which stakeholders took part?

Academics, member state and EU agencies (COPA/COGECA, public research & regulation initiative PRRI, European Food Safety Authority EFS), CSO communities. 20 participants.

How were stakeholders recruited?

The stakeholder involvement process began with the generation of a 'Potential Stakeholder Database'. The experts were specifically selected based on their career, successfully achievements and long-standing expertise in the field of GMOs related to scientific, economic, social and policies aspects. In addition, a broadest group of stakeholders in different fields were added in the database, including representative leaders of farmer's organizations, public authorities and agencies, EU research Institutions, private companies and other relevant stakeholders. A preliminary list was sent to the project partners and integrated with their suggestions. Then, the experts and stakeholders were contacted following a step-by-step criteria in order to have a right balance between the three scientific areas, as well as a fair representation of the Member States.

Were stakeholders actively involved or did they just participate?

Stakeholders were mere participants of the research prioritization process; they were not actively involved in the process.