QUARISMA is a project of European partners from Industry and Academia. It is funded by IAPP (Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways), which is an element of the specific Programme Marie-Curie Actions of the EU 7th Framework Programme.

QUARISMA represents an interdisciplinary and intersectoral co-operation in a European main area of meat production, which is reaching from the Netherlands to Germany. The various active research collaborations between the Universities of Bonn and Wageningen as well as between private organisations in the meat sector coordinated by GIQS are consolidated to focus on the quality and risk management in meat chains.

During the operational time of 48 months, researchers between industrial and academic partners will be exchanged and recruited.

QUARISMA has three interrelated research priority areas, which can be identified.

These areas are:

• The Net-Chain-Model is basis for the simultaneous consideration of horizontal and vertical connections along biological, technical and organisational determined processes in meat chains.
• In combination with the Process-Model according to DIN EN ISO 9000 and 22000 this approach enables the determination of concrete control- and decision points, at which specific information is needed for quality management at each stage of the chain.
• The Socio-Technical-Model of the control cycle with fled-forward control of disturbance is a frequently used description for act cycles. Information and act cycles between execution and decision process are situated intra-corporate as well as external. This characterises inter-organisational quality control cycles. Necessary standard values can be determined on an internal as well as external basis.

The research focus is linked to evaluation and education methods as well as integrated strategies of competent networking and innovation management.

The research work is done in six work packages, work package 1-3 are linked to research aspects, while work packages 4-6 have an horizontal background.

Work package 1: Chain management

Work package 2: Quality and information management

Work package 3: Food safety and risk management

Work package 4: Assessing and validation in pilot chains  

Work package 5: Training, education and dissemination

Work package 6: Transfer of knowledge, networking and  innovation management