CAAST-NET is now CAAST-NET PLUS

11‐12 February, 2013. CAAST‐Net Plus kick‐off meeting. After five years in operation, the CAAST-Net project came to an end on 31 December 2012. As of 1 January 2013 most CAAST-Net partners, with some new partners, have begun work on a new four year project: CAAST-Net Plus.

CAAST-Net Plus will strengthen cooperation in science and technology between Europe and Africa. Why? To enable both regions to better tackle the global challenges of health, food security, and climate change.

To achieve its goal, CAAST-Net Plus will:

• Inform the bi-regional policy dialogue on science and technology, in the context of health, food security and climate change global challenges;
• Build support for innovative and joint approaches to bilateral research funding;
• Broker the public-private relationship to improve the uptake of research and innovation; and
• Encourage bi-regional research collaboration and partnerships.

The CAAST-Net Plus website will go live during the month of February 2013. The CAAST-Net website and its contents will soon thereafter be integrated into this new website. Registered CAAST-Net stakeholders will also be contacted to refresh their profiles with CAAST-Net Plus. We look forward to keeping you informed and engaged in 2013.

Hereunder is the presentation of the Work Package on Food security. the CAAST‐Net Plus kick‐off meeting was attended by PAEPARD.