The association of partners was designed to meet identified needs: - internationalization, through the revitalization of existing cooperative relationships and the creation of a permanent short-term mobility program, including the development of a reference guide for summer school design. - and the promotion and reinforcement of new teaching practices through the development of modules taught in English, joint transnational teaching activities and the introduction of virtual modules (MOOCs, virtual activities linked to summer schools) using innovative teaching methods and media.
The NET-FOOT project responds to strong needs identified in the agri-food industry in the face of several challenges at European level: i) : food processes require a wide range of skills, involving manual tasks that are difficult to automate. The sector's competitiveness is threatened by an unskilled and ageing workforce, whereas a highly-skilled workforce is essential to drive innovation in terms of new product development, adoption of new technologies and efficient use of increasingly scarce resources. However, the industry suffers from a lack of attractiveness, and companies struggle to recruit due to an undervalued image of their professions. ii) challenges linked to food security: population and income growth will continue to drive food demand overall, but also towards healthier, more sustainable food. Meeting this additional demand will depend on the availability and productivity of resources. Combating hunger, malnutrition and obesity is essential to achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda for SD. Skilled professionals are needed to meet the challenges of food sustainability and digitization. iii) A need to accelerate food innovation by accessing strong expertise.