Our G4F Skills Platform is live! Connecting learners, workers, educators, employers, and soon, policymakers, through AI-powered skill analysis and matching in the agri-food sector.
Green Skills Training Modules
The Green Skills Training Modules provide a unique opportunity to deepen your expertise in sustainable practices within the agri-food sector. Choose from three impactful modules – Optimised Fermentation, Eco-design of Food Packaging, and Waste Valorisation in Food Product Design – and develop the green skills necessary to drive meaningful innovation.
By participating, you’ll also have the chance to collaborate with others and take part in the Foodathon in October 2025, where you can apply your new skills to real-world challenges (more details to come soon).
Certificate of completion
You will receive a certificate of completion for each module you participate in, recognising your engagement with sustainable practices and innovation within the agri-food sector.
For more details or any questions, get in touch at info@geek4food.eu.
Optimised fermentation
On-site | English | Organised by TU Dublin, Ireland
5 May 2025 | 09:00 – 13:00 EST | On-site | English | Organised by USAMV Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Designed for
Postgraduate students (Master’s or PhD), and junior and senior professionals from industry.
Learn more and enrol now
Prerequisites
You should understand fermentation, sustainability, and environmental impact. Knowledge of microbiology and biotechnology, particularly microbial strain selection, is essential. Basic skills in process design, data analysis, and bioreactor monitoring are required. Understanding food safety regulations and being able to work in teams are also important.
Course structure and topics
- Challenge-based lecture and discussion: Exploring how optimised fermentation processes can be used to produce sustainable, nutritious, and affordable food ingredients. The discussion will focus on addressing key challenges such as resource efficiency, consumer acceptance, regulatory compliance, and minimising environmental impact.
- Teaching session 1: An introduction to the fundamental principles of traditional and optimised fermentation, with a focus on safe, sustainable production practices.
- Teaching session 2: A detailed exploration of the safety and risk assessment processes for optimised fermentation products, ensuring their compliance with industry standards and safety regulations.
- Case study 1: Investigating alternative microbial-derived protein sources, such as mycoproteins and single-cell proteins, as sustainable substitutes for conventional plant- and animal-based proteins through biomass fermentation.
- Teaching session 3: An overview of existing optimised fermentation products, analysing their strengths and limitations in terms of production processes, scalability, and market acceptance.
- Case study 2: Proposing innovative solutions for the development of controlled fermentation-derived products, incorporating a holistic perspective on applications, environmental impact, raw materials, and cost-effectiveness.
Learning objectives
- Understand the fundamentals of optimised fermentation, including choosing microorganisms and bioreactor settings for specific food ingredients.
- Compare optimised fermentation with traditional methods, focusing on the technological improvements.
- Learn about the regulations related to optimised fermentation products.
- Develop innovative and sustainable optimised fermentation processes.
Assessment and evaluation
Your progress in Optimised Fermentation will be assessed using interactive methods such as multiple-choice questions, case studies, and practical exercises. These assessments are designed to evaluate your ability to understand and apply fermentation concepts in real-world situations.
On-site | English | TU Dublin, Ireland
The registration link will be provided soon.
5 May 2025 | On-site | English | USAMV Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Registration for this training is now closed. Thank you for your interest.
Eco-design of food packaging
28 April 2025, 13:00-17:00 CET | Online | English | Organised by Aarhus University, Denmark
Designed for
Postgraduate students (Master’s or PhD), and junior and senior professionals from the food industry seeking to explore sustainable packaging practices.
Learn more and enrol now
Prerequisites
You should have basic knowledge of environmental sustainability, eco-design principles, and food packaging. You should understand food safety regulations, biodegradable materials, and sustainability challenges. Skills in case study analysis, team collaboration, and interpreting sustainability data are also required.
Course structure and topics
- Challenge-based lecture and discussion: Exploring how to design safe and sustainable food packaging that minimises environmental impact throughout its lifecycle – from material sourcing to disposal – while ensuring food safety, durability, and consumer convenience.
- Teaching session 1: Introduction to eco-design principles and the concept of Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) for food packaging.
- Teaching session 2: In-depth exploration of the safety and risk assessment processes involved in eco-designed food packaging, ensuring both environmental sustainability and consumer safety.
- Case study 1: Identifying an existing fossil fuel-based plastic (e.g., PET) that can be replaced with an eco-designed alternative (e.g., PLA), based on food compatibility and functional properties.
- Teaching session 3: A review of current eco-designed food packaging materials, analysing their advantages and limitations in terms of production, performance, and sustainability.
- Case study 2: Proposing innovative solutions for eco-designed food packaging, with a holistic perspective on applications, environmental impact, raw material sourcing, and cost-effectiveness.
Learning objectives
- Understand the fundamentals of eco-design and its importance in the context of food contact materials.
- Identify sustainable materials suitable for food packaging applications.
- Understand the environmental impact of different food packaging.
- Develop innovative and sustainable design solutions for food packaging.
Assessment and evaluation
You will be assessed on how well you can apply what you’ve learned to real-world challenges in eco-design for food packaging. Case studies will help assess your ability to make informed decisions, while multiple-choice questions will test your understanding of the key concepts.
Registration for this training is now closed. Thank you for your interest.
Waste valorisation in food product design
6 June 2025, 10:00 – 15:30 CEST | Online | English | Organised by Teramo University, Italy, in collaboration with TU Dublin, Ireland
The online module will be followed by an onsite session, offering an opportunity to apply your learning in person. Further details will be shared soon.
Designed for
Postgraduate students (Master’s or PhD) with an interest in sustainable food production, and junior and senior professionals from industry.
Learn more
Prerequisites
A basic understanding of food processing, food formulation, and sustainability. You should be able to comprehend and apply the principles and technological functions of food biomolecules and ingredients in food product design.
Skills in case study analysis, team collaboration, and interpreting processing flow sheets are also required.
Course structure and topics
- Challenge-based lecture and discussion: Food waste – what it is, its sources, its uses, and how to manage it: current and future sustainable strategies for valorisation.
- Teaching session 1: Technological functionalities of food waste for green ingredients and food design.
- Teaching session 2: Biorefinery approaches and innovative technologies for food ingredients.
- Case study 1: Identify a specific food value chain and related waste and side-streams to be valorised for innovative food ingredients and products, based on their technological functionalities.
- Teaching session 3: Circular economy, industrial sustainability, and social impact.
- Case study 2: Propose and describe a technological solution for developing/producing a food ingredient from a holistic perspective (including technologies and applications, environmental impact, raw materials, costs, etc.).
Learning objectives
- Understand the concepts of food waste recovery, the technological functionality of waste biomolecules, and their potential for valorisation, along with the associated technological aspects.
- Understand the role of food waste recovery within circular economy and bioeconomy models, and the link between the circular economy and social impact.
- Identify potential food waste and side-streams for food ingredient development, based on technological functionality and available technologies.
- Apply biorefinery and food technology concepts in the design of food ingredients.
Assessment and evaluation
You will be assessed on how effectively you can apply what you’ve learned to real-world challenges in food waste valorisation for food ingredient design. Case studies will evaluate your ability to make informed decisions, while multiple-choice questions will test your understanding of key concepts.
Registration for this training is now closed. Thank you for your interest.
Project Coordinator: University of Teramo.
Project Co-Cordinator: EIT Food.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
