Activities & Outputs

Activity 1 Development and activation of the project website (14/9/2024–16/09/2024)
Project website will be used to present basic information about upcoming project - partners, basic and fascinating knowledge about pollen and bee pollen, project aims, target groups, planned activities, expected results, practical significance of the obtained results, contribution to the socio-economic development of beekeepers, benefit for improving human health, timeline, importance of pollen database for beekeeping and other scientific fields. In addition to basic information about the project, the website will provide beekeepers as well as other users and the public with information about the content of harmful components in bee products that threaten human health, as well as obtained knowledge from the project will be presented by collectives from partner organizations.

 

Activity 2 Kick off Project management meeting, Nitra, SK (22/10/2024–10/11/2024)
Meeting of project managers and selected experts of project partners with program: detailed presentation of the project (project objectives, expected outputs/outcomes, project tasks and activities); discussion of project management system; detailed discussion of each project activity; exact time-schedule of project activities; distribution of the project tasks and activities among the project consortium members; detailed discussion of each project consortium member tasks and activities; detailed presentation and discussion of the project dissemination, monitoring and evaluation procedures; detailed presentation of the project budget. Establishment of a project coordination council, which will ensure coordination of all organizational, professional, administrative and professional processes in the preparation and implementation of all project activities. The management meeting will be held for 3 days: the first day, information about the importance of the project for solving current situation regarding the quality of bee products; presentation of methodology for solving individual project activities with discussion, information about the research team (70 participants); Second day, discussion and adjustment of the methodology and work procedures for the establishment of a database on morphological characteristics of pollen (70). The third day, conference on the methodology of collecting flowers with fresh pollen and bee pollen for evaluation and morphological analysis for beekeepers and volunteers for cooperation in solving project activities in the "open sciences" system (150 participiants).

 

Activity 3 Methodology of collecting fresh pollen and bee pollen for evaluation and morphological analysis, Nitra, SK (22/10/2024–10/11/2024)
After the end of the Kick if Meeting, a one-day methodological conference will be provided for beekeepers – volunteers and interested people from other target groups, who will be actively involved in the collection of pollen grains and bee pollen pods from available plants within the open science system. Volunteer participants will be trained on the technology of collecting pollen grains and bee pollen pods from flowering plant species.  

 

Activity 4  Collection and evaluation of pollen from plant species for the database (14/10/2024–30/11/2025)
To establish a database on pollen, it is necessary to ensure the following activities: a) experts in botany will ensure the collection of flowers with fresh pollen from several flowering plants in nature, b) a specialized technical group will ensure the registration of samples and the drying of flowers in conditions that do not damage the pollen c) from of dried plants, another group of experts shakes microscopic pollen onto plates with sensitive storage and archiving of samples for photo-documentation on a scanning microscope; d) scanning microscope experts will provide 50-100 high-quality photographs of pollen grains of each evaluated species, e) experts for morphometric analysis of pollen grains will measure the length and width of the polar axis and equatorial axis on at least 50 pollen grains with simultaneous statistical analysis, f) palynology experts will ensure on the basis of photo documentation and the determination of basic morphological characters, the description and characteristics of pollen grains at the level of size, shape and drawings on the exine in five characters, g) database development experts will create an e-database for adding text, numerical and image data for each species , h) a group of other experts will ensure the gradual entry of all data for each species into specific folders.

 

Activity 5 Final Project management meeting - opening a database on morphological characteristics of pollen for use, Nitra, SK (27/01/2026–29/01/2026)
The Final Project management meeting will take place online for cost-saving reason. The meeting will be organized by the project coordinator. Meeting agenda: a) evaluation of meeting aims for project activities; b) achieved outputs; c) Kick off Project management meeting d) Development and activation of the project website e) Development and establishment of database for morphological characteristics of pollen f) Collection and evaluation of pollen from plant species for purpose of database; g) officially opening e-database to the morphological characteristics of pollen; h) reviewing the activity of the created database - opening each folder; i) discussion; j) evaluation of the fulfillment of the project partners role in resolving project; k) evaluation of activities of the experts involved in resolving project resolving; l) evaluation of the contribution of professional, young and beginning beekeepers to the resolution of the project in the open sciences system; m) usage of financial resources; n) information flow about the preparation and implementation of the project; o) proposal of follow-up activities and research activities; p) proposals for the preparing of new common projects; r) presentation of the final project report; s) discussion; t) thanking all participants.