In the rapidly evolving domain of agri-food innovation, knowledge and technical prowess alone no longer guarantee success. The challenges of sustainability, health-driven food solutions, cross-border value chains, and cutting-edge technologies require research teams not only to be experts in their scientific fields but to be proficient in project management, collaboration across countries, grant writing, scientific communication and technology valorisation. The CROSSPATHS project recognises this shift and places skills development at the heart of its strategy, ensuring that participating institutions upgrade their human resources as much as their infrastructures. This article explores how CROSSPATHS builds capacity, the kinds of training interventions it offers, why these matter for agri-food research, the particular challenges they address, and how this emphasis on skills links to the project’s broader ambition of healthier, sustainable and affordable food systems.

1. Why skills development matters for agri-food research in a cross-border network

For research organisations in the “widening” countries (such as those in the CROSSPATHS consortium: institutions in Poland, Portugal and Estonia)-—the context often involves making best use of regional infrastructure investments, connecting to pan-European networks and being competitive in large funding programmes such as Horizon Europe. As the project website indicates, one of CROSSPATHS’ specific objectives is “Strengthened Human Resources and Skills”. (crosspaths.eu)

Developing skills in areas such as grant-writing, project management, scientific communication, cross-border collaboration and innovation valorisation becomes critical. It allows institutions to move from passive participants to active leaders in research consortia, to take full advantage of their infrastructure, and to deliver impactful research outcomes. The training dimension therefore underpins the structural ambition of CROSSPATHS: aligning regional research infrastructures with European-scale collaboration. Without skilled people to mobilise these infrastructures and collaborate internationally, the infrastructure investment risks under-utilisation.

2. What kinds of training and development are offered within CROSSPATHS

CROSSPATHS offers a rich set of training and development activities for its consortium members (and in some cases beyond). On the project website the “Training and development in the Crosspaths consortium” page outlines a comprehensive transferable-skills training plan. (crosspaths.eu) Key focus areas identified include:

• Grant writing and application support (building capacity for competitive European/international research proposals). (crosspaths.eu)
• Management of international R&I projects (multi-partner, complex work packages, budget management). (crosspaths.eu)
• Knowledge valorisation, partnerships, entrepreneurship (moving research toward impact, commercialisation). (crosspaths.eu)
• Transferable and soft-skills: communication, leadership, teamwork, multilingual collaboration, data management. (crosspaths.eu)

Beyond this high-level plan, the project has rolled out specific workshops, study-visits and training events. For example:

• A workshop in Poland on laboratory management and animal testing (Sep 23-24) hosted by the Polish partner. (pan.olsztyn.pl)
• An Autumn School (24-26 Nov 2025) at the Portuguese partner (UCP) on “Innovative Approaches for Safe Healthy and Sustainable Food”. (pan.olsztyn.pl)
• Broader training sessions focused on grant-writing and internationalisation, across the consortium. (see project outcome lists) (crosspaths.eu)

Thus the training portfolio is both general (transferable skills) and domain-specific (agri-food, bioeconomy, lab management, animal testing, value chains) and also cross-border (bringing participants from Poland, Portugal, Estonia and beyond).

3. How these training activities drive capacity building and institutional change

The training interventions within CROSSPATHS are not simply ad-hoc seminars but part of an orchestrated strategy to build institutional capacity. Several mechanisms explain how they drive deeper change.

First, by upskilling individuals (researchers, technical staff, administrative support staff) the project enhances the human resource base of each institution. For example, training in grant writing increases the likelihood of future successful proposals, which in turn brings more funding, reputational gain and opportunity. As the training plan emphasises, enabling staff to lead or participate in large European calls is part of the goal. (crosspaths.eu)

Second, by training on collaborative and cross-border competencies (e.g., project management, data sharing, scientific communication across languages, cross-institution governance) the project prepares these institutions to engage effectively in international consortia, not merely as participants but as partners or coordinators. This is aligned with the objective of “Joint R&I internationalisation strategy” in CROSSPATHS. (crosspaths.eu)

Third, training on infrastructure use, valorisation and sustainability ensures that regional research infrastructures (funded by ERDF) are better used, better managed, and more visible internationally. The event in Poland on laboratory management is an example: discussions on budget constraints, staff shortages, ethics in animal work, and infrastructure optimisation were key. (pan.olsztyn.pl) By embedding training in infrastructure management, the project stimulates more efficient, sustainable operations.

Fourth, through networking and institutional linkages that come with training events (participants from multiple countries, visiting other labs, sharing practices), learnings are disseminated, and new collaborations are seeded. The cross-border nature of the training ensures that institutional silos are broken, and a community of practice is developed.

Finally, the training portfolio emphasises career development and retention of talented staff in widening countries. The project documentation notes the risk of brain-drain (talented staff moving abroad) and positions the training programmes as part of retaining and motivating personnel by providing professional growth opportunities. (crosspaths.eu)

4. Challenges addressed by the training programmes

Implementing such a skills-development agenda in the context of widening countries and cross-border networks carries specific challenges, which CROSSPATHS addresses.

One challenge is the gap in transferable skills, especially for institutions in regions with strong technical/scientific capacity but weaker tradition in international project leadership, grant writing, or valorisation. The training plan addresses this directly. (crosspaths.eu)

Another challenge is the fragmentation of infrastructure utilisation and under-use of regional R&I assets. Without trained staff and institutional processes, infrastructure remains idle. The Poland laboratory workshop illustrates this: discussions on budget constraints, staff shortages and equipment overuse highlighted the need for improved infrastructure management training. (pan.olsztyn.pl)

A further challenge is the complexity of cross-border collaboration, including governance differences, regulatory frameworks, language/cultural issues, data sharing and logistics. Training that brings consortium members together in shared events helps build trust and mutual understanding, reducing transaction costs.

Moreover, the sustainability of skills development is a recurring issue: once the project funding ends, training programmes may fade. CROSSPATHS’ strategy builds sustainable institutional capacity by embedding training in personnel development, linking skills to future funding readiness (Horizon Europe) and infrastructure use, thus increasing the likelihood of long-term impact.

5. Practical outcomes and link to agri-food innovation

The skills development activities in CROSSPATHS have practical relevance for agri-food innovation. By improving human capacity, the project ensures that processing and value-chain innovation (a key focus of CROSSPATHS) is supported by well-equipped teams. For example:

• Technical staff trained in laboratory management can run pilot processing lines, extraction units or side-stream valorisation platforms more efficiently and in compliance with standards.
• Researchers skilled in grant writing can secure funding for new food innovation projects, new bioactive compounds, new health-oriented foods.
• Project managers with international collaboration skills can run multi-partner agri-food innovation consortia that traverse borders and infrastructures.
• Teams trained in knowledge valorisation can move findings from lab to market: one of CROSSPATHS’ outcome expectations is the development of sustainable and innovative research practices. (crosspaths.eu)

Thus, skills development is not only a support task, but embedded in the logic of agri-food innovation itself: without the right capabilities, even the best infrastructure, technologies or ideas cannot deliver impact.

6. Strategic implications for institutions, industry and policy-makers

For institutions: Investing in skills training should be viewed as part of the core research infrastructure. Institutions in widening countries looking to raise their profile must treat human capital development as strategic, not optional. CROSSPATHS provides a model: a dedicated transferable-skills training plan, workshops, cross-site visits, grant writing sessions.

For industry and agri-food firms: Engaging with research institutions that have strong human-resource capacity makes collaboration more effective. Firms can benefit from institutional partners who not only have equipment but also well-trained personnel adept in project leadership, value-chain thinking and international innovation networks.

For policy-makers and funders: Capacity building in human resources is arguably as important as funding physical infrastructure. Funding programmes should integrate skills development as a core deliverable (as CROSSPATHS has done). Also, targeting widening regions means focusing on training and networks, not only equipment. The explicit listing of strengthened human resources and skills in the project’s expected outcomes is instructive. (crosspaths.eu)

7. Looking ahead—sustaining and scaling skills development for agri-food research

Looking forward, sustaining and scaling skills development will require:

• Embedding training programmes into institutional operations (not merely project-based).
• Creating peer networks and alumni structures so that trained staff remain connected and continue to exchange best practices across regions/cohorts.
• Linking training to measurable outcomes: e.g., number of Horizon Europe proposals submitted, infrastructure utilisation rates, industry partnerships.
• Scaling the training model beyond the consortium to other regions and institutions, thereby multiplying impact.
• Ensuring training keeps pace with emerging topics: digital food processing, circular bioeconomy, AI in agri-food, regulatory change, sustainability metrics.
• Leveraging the cross-border network built by CROSSPATHS to host more joint training events, summer schools, brokerage events, and mobility fellowships.

By doing so, the human-resource dimension becomes a living, sustainable component of agri-food research innovation ecosystems—and not a one-off training event.

8. Conclusion

In conclusion, the CROSSPATHS project recognises that to build healthier, sustainable and affordable food systems via agri-food innovation, institutions must not only invest in infrastructure and technology, but also in people. Skills development—ranging from grant writing, project management, infrastructure leadership, to cross-border collaboration and valorisation—is central to its strategy of transforming regional research institutions into global partners. Through well-designed training programmes, cross-border workshops, and targeted capacity-building, CROSSPATHS is creating a foundation of human resources capable of using advanced research infrastructure, collaborating across countries, engaging industry, and delivering impactful agri-food solutions. For stakeholders in research, industry and policy alike, this emphasis on skills offers a template for how human capital underpins innovation and cross-border excellence in the agri-food domain.

References

“Training and development in the Crosspaths consortium.” (2025, March 4). CROSSPATHS website. (crosspaths.eu)
“Discover our project.” CROSSPATHS project website. (crosspaths.eu)
“Crosspaths project consortium.” CROSSPATHS website. (crosspaths.eu)
“Laboratory management and animal testing: CROSSPATHS international workshop.” (2025, Oct 9). PAN Olsztyn website. (pan.olsztyn.pl)
“CBQF researchers at European workshop on lab and animal research.” (2025, Oct 2). UCP website. (ESB)
“Innovative Approaches for Safe Healthy and Sustainable Food – CROSSPATHS Autumn School.” (2025). CROSSPATHS event webpage. (pan.olsztyn.pl)