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 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).
Optimised fermentation
7 April 2025 | 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.
7 April 2025 | On-site | English | TU Dublin, Ireland
The registration link will be provided soon.
5 May 2025 | On-site | English | USAMV Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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 tested 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.
Enrolment for this course is closed.
Waste valorisation in food product design
6 June 2025 | 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
Learning objectives
- Understand food waste recovery, the technological functionality of waste biomolecules, and their potential for valorisation.
- Explore the role of food waste recovery within circular economy and bioeconomy models, and its link to social impact.
- Identify food waste and side-streams suitable for food ingredient development based on technological functionality.
- Apply biorefinery and food technology concepts in food ingredient design.
- Collaborate on assignments to develop solutions to proposed challenges.
More details coming soon.
Waste valorisation in food product design
6 June 2025 | Online and On-site | English | Organised by Teramo University, Italy
Designed for
Postgraduate students (those who have completed a bachelor’s degree and are currently pursuing or have recently completed a Master’s or PhD), and junior and senior professionals from industry.
Learn more and enrol now
Prerequisites
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Course structure and topics
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Learning objectives
- Explain the circular economy and bio-economy models and their links to social impact.
- Identify different sources of biomass for valorisation.
- Discuss various technological approaches to valorisation.
- Outline key National and European policies related to the bioeconomy.
- Collaborate on assignments to develop solutions to proposed challenges.
Assessment and evaluation
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Optimised fermentation
7 April 2025 | 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 pursuing or having recently completed a 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.
7 April 2025 | On-site | English | TU Dublin, Ireland
5 May 2025 | On-site | English | USAMV Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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.
