The Application deadline is extended to 23th of October 2020, 23.59 (CEST)
Sustainable and personalized food
50 students with different study backgrounds will meet online to use their scientific experience and university knowledge to create new concepts and ideas that will lead to development of sustainable and personalized food. This 3-week course managed by professional tutors will introduce participants to several topics such as: innovations in food sector, human nutrition in food systems, food and digital disruptions, as well as business model generation and presentation pitching. Participants will work in interdisciplinary teams, identifying problems, prototyping viable solutions with a validated value proposition and pitching their projects in front of a panel of experts.
The EIT Food RIS Venture Creation School is organized by Matis (Iceland), University of Cambridge (England), VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research PAS (Poland). A special input will be also delivered by Finnish start-up businesses operating in the agri-food sector.
What is it about?
The EIT Food Venture Creation School III aims at attracting talented researchers to improve their entrepreneurial and managerial skills to solve complex multidisciplinary challenges and enhance innovation.
Building ideas: Team up with students and professionals with diverse backgrounds and face the opportunities and challenges associated with valorisation of side streams in the food industry.
Concepts and Products Development: Apply venture creation methodology to develop new food concepts, products and start-up businesses.
Networking: Experience the melting pot of ideas with students and young entrepreneurs
Soft skills and entrepreneurship training: Improve your entrepreneurial and managerial skills to solve complex multidisciplinary challenges and enhance innovation.
Who are we?
The EIT Food Venture Creation School III is a joint activity between partners that complement expertise in innovation.
Matís
Matís vision is to increase the value and ensure safety of food processing and food production. Its strengths are in research and development in sustainable utilization of marine resources by managing and changing the supply chain of products to consumers and turning side streams and waste into valuable products through innovative biochemical processing. Several employees also hold associate positions within Iceland’s universities, while many Ph.D. students and M.Sc. students conduct their research at Matis in collaboration with the industry in Iceland and abroad.
University of Cambridge
The mission of the University of Cambridge is to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence. The university boasts a number of international centers of excellence the inspire, enable and research entrepreneurship e.g.: Centre for Social Innovation, Entrepreneurship Centre, Maxwell Centre, Idea Space and the new accelerator programme at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. These work closely with initiatives like the Global Challenges initiative to enable entrepreneurship that solves meaningful problems. Collectively, the entrepreneurship structures at the University of Cambridge support the full entrepreneurial journey – starting with the empowerment of aspiring entrepreneurs to the creation and development of early-stage ventures, all the way to small and medium size enterprise growth.
VTT
VTT paves the way for the future by developing new smart technologies, profitable solutions and innovation services. VTT creates technology for business – for the benefit of society. Multidisciplinary experts work together to help customers and partners create new products, production processes, methods, and services. In doing so, we help promote sustainable development, employment and well-being. The Digital Transformation team focuses on how companies move forward and take benefit from digitalization. We have created tools that support internal discussion and prioritization of digitalization actions, and take into account people, business and technology perspectives.
Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research PAS
Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences is Poland’s foremost research entity in agricultural sciences, holding the status of a Leading National Research Centre and recognized as a dynamic “innovation engine”. The versatile team of the Institute successfully integrates studies in food quality and safety, reproductive biology and aquaculture to design high quality food and fodder to optimize consumers and animals’ well-being . Institute provides a wide range of mentoring and networking activities to students and young professionals, and supports them in the development of their own research projects that can be transferred to food system-related solutions.
Programme Sturucture
This course is delivered online through a variety of methods, including real-time video conference sessions moderated by the course leaders, group ideation sessions with other participants and electronic material to work outside of class.
The programme will take place over 3 weeks starting 23rd October, with 30 hours’ online contact time and 15 hours’ asynchronous learning time during that period.
The course will be held 3 times per week for about 2-hours on Zoom meeting.
Everything you need to know
Who can apply ?
All undergraduate, graduate, PhD students, post-docs, early-stage researchers and young professionals, who are working/studying in Europe aged at least 18, are welcome to apply for the EIT Food Venture Creation School III. There is no precondition concerning your study background.
When is the application deadline ?
The EIT Food Venture Creation School III will accept 50 participants in total. The application deadline is 11th October 2020 23.59 (CEST). We will, however, fill the available spots on a rolling basis according to our evaluation criteria until they are full.
How can I apply ?
Please submit your application, including a short motivation text, video (1-2 minutes, not obligatory) and your CV (LinkedIn), in English via EIT application portal. Applications via email or any other channels cannot be considered. If you are having trouble with the online submission, please try another browser or refresh the website. If you are still experiencing technical difficulties, please send us an email at vs2020@pan.olsztyn.pl or m.starowicz@pan.olsztyn.pl.
When will I be notified of the decision concerning my application ?
You will receive an invitation or rejection letter via the email address you provided in the application form by the end of 14th October 2020.
What are the evaluation criteria for the application ?
We select students to take part in the EIT Food Venture Creation School III based on the following principles:
- You demonstrate open mindedness and an entrepreneurial spirit;
- You show that you are a team player and interested in working in an interdisciplinary and international group;
- You are motivated to work on the challenges of side streams in food sector;
- You have a strong academic track record and, ideally, support community initiatives on a volunteer basis;
- You show a strong proficiency in English.
What is the cost ?
This year VS School will take place online from the 23th October to the 13th November 2020.
What documentation will I receive upon successful completion of the EIT Food Venture Creation School III ?
All participants will receive a certificate at the end of the EIT Food Venture Creation School III as well as 2 ECTS points.
What are the terms, rules and conditions of the EIT Food Venture Creation School III ?
To apply for the EIT Food Venture Creation School III you must be at least 18 years of age and an undergraduate, graduate, PhD student, post-doc or a young scientific professional when submitting your application.
You are expected to attend and participate in all program activities of the EIT Food Venture Creation School III team during the training period.
Online platform for the EIT Food Venture Creation School III will open October 15th, 2020.
In order to guarantee fluid and cooperative communication among the teams and other stakeholders, you agree to the distribution of relevant professional data from your CV/LinkedIn to other parties involved in the project (such as corporate partners, other participants, coaches, etc.). This information will be handled in accordance with the Finnish data protection procedures.
You are asked to treat any non-public knowledge you gain about the other involved parties (e.g. speakers or corporate partners) with confidentiality. This commitment shall continue following the end of the program.
As part of our project marketing, you acknowledge that the EIT Food Venture Creation School III has the right to use all promotional materials, including but not limited to photographs, videos and testimonials made during the workshop weeks for future communication activities.
All participants accept to take part in the online course of EIT Food Venture Creation School III and thereafter to attend and fully participate in the activities up to and including the final presentation.
If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via vs2020@pan.olsztyn.pl or m.starowicz@pan.olsztyn.pl.
