European Seal of Excellence for the FORAGE Project at Turistica
The FORAGE project, led by researcher Dr Jelena Farkić, achieved a high score of 90.8% in the European Marie Skłodowska-Curie call and was awarded the European Commission’s Seal of Excellence. Its implementation at the University of Primorska’s Faculty of Tourism Studies – Turistica will be supported by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS). The European Commission awards the Seal of Excellence to high-quality project proposals that meet demanding European excellence criteria but cannot receive direct funding from Horizon Europe due to budget constraints. The Seal of Excellence thus enables high-quality projects evaluated at the European level to receive support from national or other funding sources.
The FORAGE – Food, Regeneration, Agency, and Governance for Equity project will explore the connections between tourism, food security, community regeneration and equity, using Slovenia as a case study. The research will focus on how tourism can contribute not only to economic outcomes but also to access to quality, affordable food, the wellbeing of local communities, and more equitable and regenerative destination development. It will critically examine how European and national policies—including the European Farm to Fork Strategy, the Common Agricultural Policy and the Slovenian Tourism Strategy 2022–2028—translate into practice and shape the connections between food, sustainability and tourism. Particular attention will also be paid to who participates in shaping tourism and food systems, whose interests are represented, and which voices remain less heard. FORAGE therefore brings together perspectives from the public sector, business, academia, civil society and local communities. The research will involve surveys, in-depth interviews, and analysis of tourism, food and other development policies and documents. One of the project’s key outcomes will be the co-creation of a governance framework that integrates food security and more equitable access to food more systematically into local and regional tourism strategies. The project will also contribute to rethinking tourism success beyond growth in visitor numbers and tourism spending, placing broader benefits for communities and the environment at the forefront.
The project will be carried out at Turistica by Dr Jelena Farkić, a researcher with international experience in sustainable and regenerative tourism, equity and wellbeing, under the mentorship of Associate Professor Emil Juvan, PhD. The project also includes planned research visits to Munster Technological University in Ireland, where research activities will focus on regenerative tourism, the circular economy and sustainable food systems, and to the Business and Hotel Management School in Switzerland, where the project will gain practical insights into sustainable culinary practices, food waste reduction and the education of future hospitality professionals.
The Seal of Excellence and ARIS funding represent a significant achievement for Dr Jelena Farkić and Turistica, affirming the international competitiveness of the faculty’s research in sustainable and regenerative tourism development. The FORAGE project will also strengthen Turistica’s collaboration with international research and professional partners and contribute new knowledge on how tourism can play a more active role in addressing broader societal and environmental challenges.
