Work packages

WP1. Management

Project Steering Committee (PSC): Teresa Mª López (ULe), Eleni Malissiova (UTH), Benedetta Bottari (UNIPR), Monika Modzelewska-Kapitula (UWM), Alfredo Teixeira (IPB), José Manuel Lorenzo (CTC), Areti Chatzi (4obs Accounting & Consulting).
Quality Assurance Committee (QAC): Benedetta Bottari (UNIPR), José María Rodríguez (ULe) y Thanasis Manouras (UTH).

WP2. Training Needs Analysis

The aim of this WP is to evaluate the competences (knowledge and skills) developed in Meat Science and Technology in the Food Science/FSTechnology of the European Higher Education organizations of the countries participating. This analysis will be carried out by identifying the courses in this HE studies offered by the academic partners which include contents and skills in meat science and technology. Also, online questionnaires will be designed to be sent to the target groups (students, professors and professionals of the meat sector) and will be disseminated by the partners. These questionnaires will include a list of possible topics that would be of interest to develop in the training material, but also there will be the possibility to suggest new topics of interest. U. of Parma will lead this work package.

WP2 includes:

A1. CURRICULUM ASSESSMENT

Current Food Science/Technology curricula assessment and definition of the modules/topics related to Innovative Meat Science to be developed as training material. All University partners will participate in this activity and all the curricula will be thoroughly discussed and compared in order to identify differences, strong and weak points. This assessment will lead to a technical report prepared by the leader of the WP in order to map an evidence-based evaluation of the study programs in relation to MST that are currently running in the participating universities.

A2. QUESTIONNAIRES (STUDENTS, PROFESSORS, PROFESSIONALS)

The lead partner of this WP will produce online questionnaires addressed to the target groups (students, tutors and meat industry). The aim is to analyse the competences developed in the curricula and those that could be interesting to develop for the future/actual labour situation (including teaching). These questionnaires will be distributed to the partners for them to send (by email) to the target groups.

The lead partner will collect all the information, create a database and will analyze the results of the questionnaires.

A3. STATISTICAL DATA ANALYSIS

The lead partner will collect the results of the questionnaires and analyze them. The answers will be processed using basic statistical tools.

A4. INNOVATIVE MST TRAINING GUIDE

The results of the analysis (A1, A2, A3) will be discussed among partners and a report on the current situation of the curricula related to Innovative MST, and on the interests of the targets for their professional development will be written. By identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the curricula and the perceived needs, a discussion will follow to decide the specific contents of the training material to be developed under WP3.3. WP3. Innovative Training Material Development (slides, practical labs, multimedia, assessment quizzes, further reading, etc.).

a. Meat production/Meat science
b. Meat processing fundamentals
c. Advances in meat preservation and processing. Novel meat products.
d. Safety, Quality and Regulatory Affairs.
e. Case studies.

WP3 – Innovative training material development

Innovative education training material (including case studies) will be developed by the partner Universities following an assignment of tasks per each partner based on their scientific expertise. The material content will be decided following the completion of WP2 based on the conclusions drawn following the assessment of the current situation in the MST education.

It will focus on Products, Processes, Quality, Safety, Sustainability & Entrepreneurship of the Meat Sector.

The innovation of this output focuses on the methodological approach of developing an up to date training material for MST and additionally on the fact that the material will be digitized in order to be easier accessible. It is aimed that all practical parts of the training (lab experiments, practical cases, meat industry visits, etc.) will be filmed and offered in a more advanced way to the target groups. The high level of expertise and the combination of different specific meat science field’s backgrounds will assure high quality material for students, professors and meat science professionals. The didactic tools to be used for developing the material such as brainstorming, class questions, quizzes etc. will assist the creation of a training material with high impact on meat science students and meat science professionals. WP3 is considered fully transferable.

The transferability and the impact of WP3 will be presented during the multiplier events.

WP4. Training Material Digitalization and E-Platform (Moodle Design)

The main result will be the InnoMeatEdu MOOCs, a Moodle course that will include the training material developed in WP3. It will include slides, practical labs and lab tutorials (some of this material will be offered as multimedia -videos with locution using applications such as Sreencast Matic-), exercises, quizzes, infographics of each module, case studies (both academic and presenting cases academia-meat industry), etc.
As previously described, some materials will be enriched by H5P technology plugged in the Moodle platform.
OER production will indicatively include the use of 360° VR cameras (360° video 3840×2160), addition of titles, speaker banners, and subtitles. A total of 10 videos will be produced by the partnership.
The platform will be freely accessible during the project and for 3 years more.

WP5. Connection with the industry, dissemination and sustainability

Academia offers valuable scientific knowledge and relevant technology-based skills to students. However, there seems to be a significant gap from moving from theory to practice when it comes to either establishing a new meat firm, or engaging actively in the successful commercialization of innovation. On the other hand, R&D in the meat industry is mainly performed by big and well-established meat firms which can afford the budgets needed while SMEs appear rather incapable to utilize leveraging ways to innovate. There is a significant need to set, to implement and/or to improve an entrepreneurial mindset and to develop specific technical and soft skills which will enable students to be more aware of business fundamentals.
A significant achievement will be if knowledge diffusion of the InnoMeatEdu results in spin-outs among participants of the partner countries and if it generates young motivated entrepreneurs; this aspiration –if achieved – will positively impact significantly the competitiveness of the specific regional economies involved. The connection with the meat industry event will help.

WP5 includes:

a. Connection with the industry events
b. Summer school
c. Multiplier events
d. Website and other dissemination tools