We aimed to create a curriculum by using design thinking that enhanced the transition from higher education to the labour market in agricultural biotechnology in connection to recent technological achievements and to develop teaching materials supporting the course delivery designed with flipped learning. We also aimed: 1- to support undergraduate students to connect data and information explicitly with the areas of knowledge, skills and approaches needed for professional work 2- to equip undergraduate students for work in a world with continuous technological innovations 3- to foster students' self-awareness to improve their transversal skills 4- to create dynamism and synergies between the university and industry representatives to invest in innovation and innovational thinking 5- to integrate "design thinking" and "flipped learning" as a novel course delivery design
We applied for this project to address the gap between university education and industry expectations in the biotechnology sector. Research highlighted that graduates lacked transversal skills, such as problem-solving, communication, self-directed learning, and work-specific competencies required by employers. The European Commission's Bioeconomy Strategy (2018) emphasized the urgent need for upskilling to support employment growth and sustainability. A needs analysis with 100 academicians and industry representatives in partner countries and literature reviews confirmed that graduates required further training to transfer academic knowledge into practice. The needs we addressed in the project were enhancing students' practical and transversal skills, modernizing teaching methods through flipped learning and design thinking, developing open-access learning resources, strengthening university-industry collaboration, creating industry-relevant curriculum modules and promoting employability and career readiness. We addressed the need to modernize higher education programs to prepare undergraduates for careers in biotechnology better, strengthening collaborations between academia and industry.