Overview of launch event.

23rd March 2015
The Launch event and scoping workshop had the following aims:
- Formally launch the Local Nexus Network project
- Introduce the network to key stakeholders
- Initiate discussions on the key aspects and issues that the network should look at, and identify areas of synergy, overlap and concerns
- Define our network in terms of key boundaries and ways to work around the case studies
- Exchange with other parallel initiatives
Aims 1, 2 and 5 were achieved through the presentations at the beginning of the day, and the networking throughout the day. Aims 3 and 4 were achieved through the scoping workshops, which took place during the day.
Participants
The event brought together over 40 participants from the academic partners, key stakeholders, academics in related projects, such as those focusing on re-distributed manufacturing and nexus projects, local stakeholders involved in food systems in Oxford, and representatives from South Cambridgeshire council responsible for the development of Northstowe.
Introducing the Local Nexus Network

Presentations were given which covered the following areas of the Local Nexus Network.
View presentations (pdfs)
Local Nexus Network
Local Nexus Network Overview: OVERVIEW_LNN_launch230315
Energy feasibility project: ENERGY_LNN_ launch230315
Food feasibility project: FOOD_LNN_launch230315
Water feasibility project: WATER-LNN_Launch230315
Business and value chain feasibility project: Business &VC_LNN_Launch230315
Policy and society feasibility project: POLICY&SOCIETY_LNN_Launch230315
Context and related nexus projects
Manufacturing the future. EPSRC theme
The Nexus Network. ESRC
Centre for Sustainable Energy Use in Food Chains
WEFWEBS
Scoping workshops

The participants broke into smaller groups for scoping workshops to address the following questions:
- What are potential benefits and problems of a localised food system, and for whom?
- What socio-economic and biophysical conditions are needed to achieve a more localised food system?
- What are the opportunities and/or requirements for local energy and water to support a localised food system?
- What are the key technical, social, economic, policy research areas and questions relating to the local food-energy-water nexus?
A summary of the discussions is contained in the LNN Launch event and scoping workshop report_SUMMARY_Public.