Algae protein and plant protein are considered as novel and primary source of protein for the human being in future as it is now crucial to reduce our dependence on animal-based protein, notably to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Also, among varied food structure, the powder matrix of the algae-plant-based formula will reduce transportation and storage costs due to lower water content, which is interesting for food industry. Moreover, the algae-plant-based powder can be a replacer to traditional dairy powder, which is namely milk-analogue powder. However, the formula of algae-plant-based solution and its powder has not been studied yet. This project therefore aims to 1/investigate the powder matrix of algae-plant based formula influenced by drying protocol, 2/demonstrate the rehydration profile of the powder matrix, and 3/improve the sustainable production of this powder. Technological and health potentiality of plant and algae protein for the production of functional food powders by spray drying will be investigated focusing on milk-analogue powder as a model. To achieve the sustainability of the process, mass and energy transfer will be modelled to identify optimal conditions for greener production. The physical characteristics of algae-plant-based initial liquid feed and final powder will be investigated. Both are linked and are of great significance on the development of powder structure during drying and on the final powder functional properties. Especially, the rehydration of algae-plant-based powder will be studied stepwise in comparison with the characteristics of feed solution and spray drying conditions, which can enlighten the smart design of powder matrix for instant breakage during rehydration. Lastly, the digestion of algae-plant-based powder and nutrition analysis pave path to alternate the real milk. As a fresh researcher, my career can be facilitated by this advanced research at AgroParisTech, internationally recognized institute on future food.

Europe's Food and Drink Industry represents 4.57 million people employed throughout the EU, a turnover of €1.1 trillion and €230 billion in value added, which make it the largest manufacturing industry in the EU. There is a strong innovation dynamic in this sector to answer consumer’s expectations, which has been leading to the development of R&D departments and to the increase in agri-food start-ups European-wide. Although students demonstrate will for the development of innovative food products, as comproved by the national and European ECOTROPHELIA competitions, it seems that it is not enough for them to launch their products on the market. European students in food-related courses, i.e. the future professionals of the sector, show skills gaps when it comes to areas such as project management, entrepreneurial mind-set, communication, marketing, finances and business plan, because the HEIs’ curriculum is, in most cases, focused on food sciences and process. These skills gaps limit their potential to create their own company and even to better succeed in the professional world.In this context, FEEDtheMIND project intends to demonstrate that the European food education requires a systemic, interdisciplinary approach based on a food innovation education of excellence and a project-based approach. Thus, the objectives of this project are to adapt, test and implement a digital pedagogical platform focusing on the development of an innovative food product; facilitate the exchange of pedagogical methods between the different European HEIs partner organisations; contribute to the rethink of the curriculum design by enabling HEIs to provide online courses. Ultimately, this project aims to foster entrepreneurship among students attending food-related degrees.The FEEDtheMIND project is supported by a set of seven complementary partners, who bring to the project their skills, expertise, and fields of application necessary to meet the project's ambitions, namely: six HEIs of excellence, among the ten leader HEIs in their domain European-wide, and one federative structure, the EEIG ECOTROPHELIA EUROPE that brings together 8 national food federations i.e. 70% of the European agribusiness, and the CCI Vaucluse the founder of the ECOTROPHELIA food Innovation Laboratory.FEEDtheMIND targets three groups of participants: 1) higher education students that will directly benefit from the digital pedagogical platform developed to tackle their skills gap and to promote their creativity and entrepreneurship; 2) higher education professors/researchers/pedagogical staff that will benefit from the exchange of good practices and the innovative pedagogical methods; and 3) professionals from the food sector that will share their expectations regarding the industry’s future professionals.The major activity of this project will be the development of a digital pedagogical platform that will allow the students to acquire transversal skills and competences by following their individual path. During the last year of the project, the partner HEIs will encourage their students to be part of transnational teams, through a mobility activity and/or virtually, and develop innovative food products supported by the FEEDtheMIND multidisciplinary digital learning tool.This project will link education with research and innovation, by supporting students in the development of innovative food products both by monitoring in person (pedagogical staff) and by providing an online multi-disciplinary course that will address the topics (knowledge or skills) identified as underdeveloped in the participating countries.In the long term, this project will have an impact at three different levels: 1) at an individual level (the students), by proposing a pedagogical approach that delivers knowledge and transversal competences, promotes an entrepreneurial mind-set and creative thinking; 2) at an organisational level, by training professors/researchers and staff and consequently improving the quality of education, and by strengthening the cooperation and network between leader HEIs in five different countries; and 3) at a system level, by contributing to a more innovative food sector through the training of the future professionals of this sector and the connection between HEIs and the industry.

The HIGHLANDS’ goal is to contribute to Inclusive Sustainable Development in Highlands (ISDH) through collective and impact-driven Research & Innovation (R&I), based on capacity building, sharing of local-global knowledge, experience, and tools. It will drive a co-innovation process through secondments and research and innovative sessions (R&IS) involving public/private and non-academic partners, to build a shared vision of ISDH, enhance the capacities of researchers, managers, users, policymakers, thus bridging the gap between research and development. Our activities will be organized in 5 integrated work packages (WP): Coordination & management (WP1); Methodology & capacity building for ISDH (WP2); Analysis, comparison and modelling of ISDH (WP3); Building a multi-actor ISDH Decision-Support Platform (DSP) (WP4); Communication, Dissemination & Exploitation of results (WP5). HIGHLANDS is supported by a network of 43 institutions including 31 partners from Europe (~35% non-academic), and skilled and motivated female and male researchers and local stakeholders. The work plan will run 8 successive R&IS (5 in Europe, 3 outside) to promote the exchange among participants as a foundation for innovation. Each R&IS will build upon collective learning principles and a holistic systemic approach, exposing participants to a wide range of world views that will encourage experimentation with practice. Each R&IS will focus on a particular aspect of sustainable highland development and will include collective learning, collaborative research, and capacity-building on data collection/analysis, modeling. To complement the R&IS, long-term secondments will be implemented for researchers and practitioners to deeply train and work together on specific issues identified by the consortium. Collected data on ISDHs will be stored in an online collaborative and interactive decision-support platform that will then be transferred to existing mountain networks.

PROSPER will provide sustainable technical solutions based on the valorization of highly resilient orphan legumes (OLs) for: i) diversification in agriculture, allowing farmers’ access to a wider range of selected cultivars (cvs) and enhance productivity under challenging environments, ii) diversification of value chains, promoting a wider range of products for food processing/biocircular economy industries. PROSPER will act in Mediterranean/Central/North Europe, covering different geographic regions/pedoclimatic conditions. A multi-actor approach will ensure that PROSPER meets the real needs of stakeholders/end-users who will play active roles in the co-creation of technical solutions. Participatory Spatial Explicit Information Services will provide on-demand information for PROSPER actors (information/knowledge creators/end-users). Based on Partners’ expertise/achievements gained in former/ongoing projects, PROSPER will develop beyond state-of-the-art knowledge concerning novel resilient accessions (source of agrobiodiversity), their performance under environmental constrains and nutritional value. Technology transfer and demonstration actions will be promoted to share PROSPER knowledge, translated into beyond state-of-the-art sustainable technologies. By successfully promoting the use of OLs, PROSPER will improve crop diversity and environmental resilience, fostering socioeconomic development and sustainability in farming practices across diverse European regions. Direct drivers of biodiversity decline will be understood and addressed. Biodiversity, ecosystem services and natural capital will be mainstreamed in the society and economy. Practices in agriculture will be developed and improved. Biodiversity research and support policies and processes will be interconnected at EU and global levels.

The Global Forestry Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (GLOFOR) is a two-year English language world-class MSc programme that will prepare graduates to deal with forestry’s tremendous contemporary challenges and potentials in medium and low-income countries. A consortium of five universities with extensive experience; University of Copenhagen, Department of Food and Resource Economics (Denmark), Technische Universität, Dresden, Institute of International Forestry and Forest Products, (Germany), the University of Padua, School of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine (Italy), The Paris Institute of Technology for Life, Food and Environmental Sciences (AgroParisTech), Montpellier and Kourou Campuses (France), and the Czech University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Prague (Czech Republic) offer the programme. Students get a thorough introduction to forestry’s local and global role in middle and low-income countries during their first year. All students will complete their first semester in Copenhagen, where faculty from all partner universities will join the teaching activities. During February, the first year, all students and one teacher from each partner universities participate in a joint field course in a middle or low-income country. Then, students move to either Dresden or Padua to complete their first year. In their second year, students pursue a particular line of specialisation in any one of the five partner universities; Livelihoods and Governance (Copenhagen), Governance and Management and Policy (Dresden), Tropical Forest Ecology (Montpellier/Kourou), Social and Environmental Responsibility (Padua), and Agroforestry Systems (CZU Prague). The expected annual student intake is 40. The teaching staff is very active in research, and students will profit from their global expertise. GLOFOR can readily issue accredited and fully recognised multi-degrees but aims to issue joint degrees. Selection requires a relevant and strong Bachelor’s degree.