Every year, the CROSSPATHS project brings together students, researchers and innovators from across Europe to explore the future of food systems. In 2025, the Autumn School will take place from 24 to 26 November at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Porto, gathering participants from three countries for a unique hands-on learning experience. Over three intensive days, attendees immerse themselves in bioeconomy challenges, innovation in food systems, entrepreneurship, communication skills and practical industry exposure. The programme blends academic expertise, industrial perspectives and teamwork, guiding participants from problem discovery to the final pitch of an innovative solution.
The Autumn School is not just a training event—it is a collaborative laboratory where students confront real-world challenges, receive mentoring from experts and develop transferable skills for their future careers. The 2025 edition will be anchored around a case challenge proposed by Tecmafoods, a company pioneering insect-based food and feed solutions. This real industrial issue will form the backbone of the team project that participants will refine over the course of the school. The event culminates in a final pitch session evaluated by external experts, followed by networking opportunities and a visit to research laboratories.
The programme outlined below—the official schedule and agenda—captures the structure and educational philosophy of the CROSSPATHS Autumn School.
Day 1 – Understanding the Landscape of Bioeconomy and Innovation
The Autumn School opens with a welcome session at 09:30, setting the tone for an event focused on collaboration, creativity and real-world impact. The first morning is dedicated to providing participants with the knowledge foundations they will need to engage with the challenge ahead.
Exploring Bioeconomy Challenges
At 09:45, Sara Nunes Silva, Senior Researcher at CBQF (UCP Porto), offers an introduction to the key issues shaping the bioeconomy today. Her session guides students through the multidisciplinary research ecosystems that connect food, health and sustainable resource management.
According to the programme, participants “discover the CROSSPATHS project and explore the latest perspectives in research and innovation across food, health, and bioeconomy.”
This opening conference ensures that all participants—regardless of their academic background—gain a shared understanding of the broader scientific and societal context of the challenge they will soon face.
Ideation and the Creative Process
After a short coffee break, Margarita Oja da Silva from the Digital+Sustainable Innovation Lab (UCP Lisbon) leads a session titled ABC of Ideation (10:45–11:30). Her workshop introduces students to the fundamentals of creativity in innovation processes, emphasizing how artificial intelligence tools can support the development of new business ideas.
This hands-on session marks the transition from exploration to action. Instead of passively absorbing information, students begin to actively train their ability to generate concepts, identify opportunities and think entrepreneurially.
Day 1 – The Tecmafoods Challenge
The second half of the day introduces the central element of the Autumn School: the real-world case challenge.
Presentation of the Industrial Case
From 11:30 to 12:30, the Tecmafoods case challenge is officially presented. Tecmafoods is a pioneering company in the field of insect-based food and feed, an emerging sector promising to transform sustainable food production.
The programme specifies that participants “are then presented with a real-life case challenge from Tecmafoods, a company that works with insect-based food & feed, which will form the heart of their team projects.”
This challenge is not a theoretical exercise. It reflects the real operational, technological or market dilemmas that innovators in this industry must solve. Students will be invited to engage with it critically and propose feasible and impactful solutions.
Team Formation
After being briefed about the challenge and receiving preliminary guidance, participants form mixed teams. These groups include students from the three participating countries, ensuring diverse perspectives and fostering cross-cultural collaboration.
Team formation marks the beginning of the collaborative journey. Throughout the event, teams will work together, blending their disciplinary backgrounds and experiences.
Site Visit to Tecmafoods
In the afternoon, after a lunch break, groups travel to Tecmafoods for a visit of the site. This exclusive behind-the-scenes tour gives participants direct exposure to industrial processes in food innovation.
Seeing production processes up close helps contextualise the challenge, making it easier for teams to ground their ideas in practical realities. The site visit also sparks dialogue between students and industry professionals, encouraging them to ask questions and refine their understanding of the sector’s needs.
Evening Wrap-Up
The first day ends with an initial session of teamwork (15:00–15:45), allowing participants to debrief, share impressions from the visit and start shaping the early contours of their project.
Later in the evening, a group dinner reinforces the networking and collaborative spirit of the Autumn School.
Day 2 – Intensive Teamwork and Expert Mentoring
The second day is fully dedicated to co-creation, mentoring and practical skill-building. It is during this phase that teams transform initial ideas into structured, realistic and innovative project proposals.
Deepening the Challenge Through Collaboration
From the morning until lunch, teams work intensively on their challenge. Mentors—expert researchers, innovation professionals and CROSSPATHS staff—circulate throughout the sessions to provide guidance.
The official description states that participants “dive deeper into the Tecmafoods challenge, supported by mentors who will provide expert advice on ideation and business potential.”
Mentoring ensures that teams properly assess feasibility, sustainability, potential markets and societal impacts. It also encourages students to refine their reasoning and avoid overlooking crucial technical or economic dimensions.
Pitch Training Workshop
In the early afternoon, the focus shifts towards communication and impact. Iwona Kieda, Head of Communications & International Affairs at InLife (Polish Academy of Sciences), delivers a pitch workshop designed to equip participants with the skills to present their ideas effectively.
The programme highlights that she will provide “essential tools to deliver impactful and persuasive presentations.” Students learn how to structure a pitch, build a compelling narrative and convey the strengths of their proposal in a concise and engaging way.
Return to Teamwork
Following the workshop, teams resume their work with renewed focus. This additional session enables them to integrate the feedback from mentors and incorporate communication strategies learned during the training.
They work toward crafting a coherent, persuasive and well-supported presentation in preparation for the final evaluations on Day 3.
The end of Day 2 is often described by previous participants as the moment when “everything connects”—when insights from the workshops, mentoring, site visit and teamwork begin consolidating into a viable innovation.
Day 3 – From Ideas to Impact: Final Presentations and Awards
The last day celebrates creativity, knowledge and collaboration. It begins with the final sprint of teamwork and ends with the selection of the best innovation proposal.
Perfecting the Final Pitch
From 09:30 to 11:00, teams work closely with mentors to polish their final presentations. This session is a last opportunity to refine arguments, clarify value propositions and rehearse the delivery.
The schedule emphasises that participants aim to ensure their presentations are “polished and compelling.”
Presenting to the Jury
Between 11:00 and 12:00, teams present their solutions to a jury of external experts. This is a crucial moment: the culmination of two and a half days of intense learning, cooperation and creativity.
Each project is evaluated based on creativity, potential impact, technical relevance and feasibility.
This evaluation process not only identifies the most promising team but also provides valuable feedback for all groups.
Awards and Recognition
After deliberation, the jury announces the best-performing team. An award ceremony acknowledges the quality of the work delivered and the progress made by participants over the course of the school.
Beyond selecting winners, the event emphasises constructive feedback, offering each team insights on how to improve or further develop their ideas beyond the Autumn School.
Networking Lunch and Research Visit
After the awards, participants gather for a networking lunch—a moment to connect, exchange experiences and cement new collaborations.
The programme concludes with a visit to the CBQF/ESB buildings and laboratories, giving students a privileged look at cutting-edge research infrastructures in food biotechnology and sustainable innovation.
This visit reinforces the link between fundamental research and practical applications, closing the Autumn School with a forward-looking perspective.
A Learning Experience Rooted in Real-World Challenges
The CROSSPATHS Autumn School is designed not merely as a training programme but as a learning ecosystem. It encourages participants to:
- engage with real industrial challenges
- connect scientific knowledge with market needs
- develop entrepreneurial and communication skills
- collaborate across borders and disciplines
- gain exposure to industrial and academic environments
Throughout the event, students are immersed in an approach that reflects the mission of CROSSPATHS: bridging food, health and sustainability through innovation.
The combination of site visits, hands-on teamwork, expert mentoring and pitching ensures a holistic learning experience that prepares young innovators for future careers in sustainable food systems.
Preparing the Next Generation of Food Innovators
As global food systems undergo profound transformation, initiatives like the CROSSPATHS Autumn School play a crucial role in equipping students with the skills and mindset needed to drive change. By immersing them in real challenges, by encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration and by creating an environment where creativity meets evidence-based reasoning, the Autumn School fosters a new generation of professionals capable of linking scientific discovery to societal impact.
The 2025 edition promises to be a rich and inspiring event. Set in the vibrant city of Porto and hosted by renowned institutions like UCP and CBQF, it offers a unique opportunity for students to explore the intersection of sustainable food production, innovation and entrepreneurship.
With its dynamic programme, hands-on approach and collaborative spirit, the CROSSPATHS Autumn School continues to build bridges—between countries, between disciplines, and between science and society.
