SOLO’s second face-to-face consortium meeting was held in Bulgaria from 4 to 7 November 2024. The four-day meeting was attended by 60 participants, both project partners and external stakeholders. Two days were dedicated to Think Tank workshops, while the first and last days were reserved for consortium members, focusing on the project’s lifespan and activities. 

The first day was focused on aligning all partners by reviewing the progress of each Work Package and addressing any roadblocks. Once the consortium was on the same page, the next step was to establish common ground with the stakeholders. This was done by creating a glossary that defined key project concepts, such as "knowledge gaps," "actions," and "bottlenecks."

The stakeholder days were filled with interactive activities designed to get the Think Tanks collaborating and to encourage knowledge exchange. The activities were divided into different workshops, matchmaking activities, and world cafés. Several brainstorming sessions were held, during which Think Tank members worked on visually representing key concepts related to the Soil Mission and engaged in discussions on various topics, including soil management, water management, regional policies for farmers, and more.

Think Tank workshop activities / Pensoft Publishers   

The backbone of the stakeholder days was collaboration. Think Tank participants mixed and matched throughout the entire time to provide knowledge and guidance to each other in overcoming bottlenecks and building roadmaps. Experts were identified for certain topics and all who had relevant missing knowledge gaps could receive input from them. One activity involved Think Tanks identifying their group's top 10 knowledge gaps and then voting on the top 5 gaps from other groups. After a third round of voting, each Think Tank narrowed down their list to their top 3 knowledge gaps.

Think Tank workshop activities / Pensoft Publishers                                                                                                                                          

Overall, the days were spent in a very dynamic manner, encouraging participants to move through rooms and Think Tanks, focusing on the exchange of expertise. The last day was once again a consortium day, spent reflecting on all the activities, as well as planning ahead for the next Soil Weeks and the Regional Nodes happening in 2025. 

We gained a lot of valuable insights, and the next step is to integrate this new knowledge as we move forward.

Think Tank workshop activities / Pensoft Publishers