The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) awarded two EIT Food education programmes: Master in Food Systems and Global Food Venture, with the EIT Label Certificate. The University of Warsaw is involved in both of them.
EIT Food is a European innovation initiative with a mission to educate the new generation of entrepreneurs and innovators to transform the food system onto a more sustainable and healthier path. UW belongs to EIT Food since 2016.
Recently, EIT awarded its EIT Label Certificate, being a proof of quality, to two EIT Food flagship education programmes Masters in Food Systems, and the doctoral Global Food Venture programme. Dr. Agnieszka Wiśniewska and Dr. Monika Łobaziewicz from the UW Faculty of Management are responsible for those programmes at the University of Warsaw.
“The EIT Label clearly signals to employers that the graduates from the programme are equipped to act as innovators and respond to societal challenges. They have the entrepreneurial and technical skills to imagine and drive innovations towards a world where everybody can access and enjoy sustainable, safe, and healthy food, with trust and fairness from farm to fork,” said Dr. Maarten van der Kamp, Director of Education at EIT Food.
Master in Food Systems
The Programme Master in Food Systems (MFS) was developed by six participating universities: the University of Warsaw, University of Madrid, Queen’s University of Belfast, University of Reading, University of Turin and University of Hohenheim. Its goal is to prepare students to drive a future transformation of the food system. The MFS programme promotes a deep knowledge of the food system as an integrated value chain by providing students with the opportunity to study consecutively at three academic institutions which provide distinctly different semester blocks, each one of them focusing on specific areas of the food system. This is coupled with partner-mentored activities and thesis work jointly offered by pan-European industrial partners. Over 74 students are currently enrolled in the Master programme.
Global Food Venture
The Global Food Venture Programme supports highly qualified doctoral candidates from across Europe. Young innovators gain essential business creation skills and knowledge through a bespoke six-month curriculum of training bootcamps, mentoring, corporate site visits, global networking events and pitch competitions. Currently, the following partners are involved in this course: the University of Warsaw, Autonomous University of Madrid, IMDEA Food Institute Madrid, Queen’s University of Belfast, Aarhus University Denmark, EPFL Swiss Polytechnic Federal School, ETH Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich, University of Leuven, Technical University of München and Technion Israel Institute of Technology. So far, 100 students have completed their PhD.