The Covid-19 pandemic has had many negative effects on UK society and the economy, including supermarket shortages and reduced offerings. As the UK is not self-sufficient in food production (for example only 16% of fruit and 52% vegetables and salad are grown in the UK), disruption to the logistics infrastructure could have serious knock-on effects for the UK.
The often-complex network and interaction of growers, manufacturers, retailers and freight organisations mean that the current crisis is putting a strain on each of these sectors and the infrastructure which support it.
On 28 April, 14.00 BST, KTN held a forum to present mathematical science topics, and create an environment to discuss priorities, overlaps and potential avenues for the research base to support in a coordinated manner.
During this forum, there were a number of short (five minute) responses from the mathematical scientists on key topics. These topics have been developed as a response to industry consultation:
- Supply chain and inventory modelling
- Operational research for transportation and logistics
- Network science
- Statistical modelling
- Risk modelling
