The Faculty of Biotechnology (ESB) of Universidade Católica Portuguesa received students from different parts of the globe for another edition of the European Master of Science in Sustainable Food Systems Engineering, Technology and Business (BiFTec-FOOD4S). In this semester, 48 students are attending this European Masters, coming from 23 countries.

BiFTec-FOOD4S takes place within the scope of an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's Degree (EMJMD), being organized by four European partner institutions: Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP), KU Leuven (Belgium), Anhalt University of Applied Sciences (Germany) (HSA) and University College Dublin (UCD) (Ireland). The Master’s aims to promote innovation, technology and sustainability in the food sector.

Rui Morais, coordinator of BiFTec-FOOD4S at ESB, underlines the importance of the master's degree resulting from this partnership, "in a sector of the greatest importance in the Portuguese and world economy", with "a high connection to the industrial business ecosystem", taking advantage of the "research units of high scientific competence and with relevant activity in the sector”.
 

Nicolle Sibrián (Guatemala), Paula Daguer, Beatriz Araújo (Brasil), Xiao ou Fu (China), Anissa Catalina Davel (África do Sul), Laura Ratner (Argentina) and Monika Pradhan (Butão) - (left to right)

Beatriz Araújo, one of the students of BiFTec-FOOD4S, was born in Brazil and has a degree in Chemical Engineering. She chose this course because “I wanted to specialize in Food since I work in that area. This is an opportunity to get out of my comfort zone, challenge myself and get to know different cultures. Porto is an amazing city!”

Monika Pradhan, who is from Bhutan and who previously studied Biotechnology, says that “the experience so far has been incredible and very different from Bhutan. I intended to try out the education system and get hands-on experience with the technology used in this area.”
 

Lioni Carol Singarimbun (Indonesia), Shreya Hore e Geethika Menon (India) - (left to right)

Iris Joy Abrigo, Isabela Daras e Tristan Zamora – students from the Philippines (left to right)

South Africa, Albania, Argentina. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, Philippines, Guatemala, Greece, India, Indonesia, Italy, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Portugal, Kenya, Singapore and Turkey are the home countries of students who attend BiFTec -FOOD4S.

Some of the students had, already in this semester, the opportunity to carry out a study visit to the company 100Mistérios, within the scope of the Master's Oils and Fats module, having been accompanied by professors Ana Gomes and Rui Morais. BiFTec-FOOD4S students also have the opportunity to carry out their internship and dissertation in a business environment, facilitating their integration into the job market, amplified by the network of professional contacts established in different countries.