ESS ILO Network keeps up the momentum with virtual gathering

Apr 6, 2020
A dozen ESS ILOs met with members of the ESS strategy and procurement teams over videoconference for the 14th ESS ILO Network meeting.

LUND—The 14th ESS Industrial Liaison Officer (ILO) Network meeting took place as a video conference on Tuesday, March 31. The change in format was due to the Covid-19 global pandemic, which has severely restricted travel and in-person meetings throughout Europe. The meeting was well attended, with more than 15 participants joining remotely from their homes and offices across Europe.

As a result of the setup, the typical day-long meeting agenda was abbreviated, with an emphasis on three key areas: 

  • ESS status update
  • ESS Procurement Division update and planning
  • Follow-up on February's ESS ILO Network Strategy Workshop held in Catania, Italy, with special emphasis on the group’s Innovation Questionnaire feedback

“This meeting, although impacted by the difficult circumstances ESS and its partners are facing, once again reaffirmed the importance of a continual dialogue between ESS and its ILOs,” said ESS Strategy Officer Miloš Davidovic. “The ESS team is firmly committed to maintaining the momentum built in recent months with the ILO Network, in spite of the difficult conditions we now face in Europe.”

The Innovation Questionnaire was distributed to the ESS ILO Network prior to the Catania workshop, and has proved to be an important input to understanding the relationship between innovation and the functions ILOs serve in their respective countries. The virtual meeting was served well by the ILO Network Collaboration Platform, which was implemented to facilitate cross-border collaboration even in pre-Covid-19 times.

The meeting concluded successfully with plans for an extended, face-to-face meeting in September.