We strengthen our commitment to agri-food innovation by joining the Advisory Board of the Food Engineering Degree at UPM

We strengthen our commitment to agri-food innovation by joining the Advisory Board of the Food Engineering Degree at UPM

At artica+i, we have strengthened our commitment to agri-food innovation by joining the External Advisory Board of the Food Engineering Degree at ETSIAAB-UPM. We believe that collaboration between universities and companies is essential to prepare the sector for challenges such as digitalization, sustainability, automation, and biotechnology.

Through this Advisory Board, we share a space with leading companies and organizations to help ensure that university education evolves in line with the real needs of the agri-food industry. During the meeting, key challenges were discussed, including strengthening digital skills, data analysis, external academic internships, and improving the connection between education, employability, and innovation.

At artica+i, we have strengthened our commitment to agri-food innovation by joining the External Advisory Board of the Food Engineering Degree at ETSIAAB-UPM. We believe that collaboration between universities and companies is essential to prepare the sector for challenges such as digitalization, sustainability, automation, and biotechnology.

Through this Advisory Board, we share a space with leading companies and organizations to help ensure that university education evolves in line with the real needs of the agri-food industry. During the meeting, key challenges were discussed, including strengthening digital skills, data analysis, external academic internships, and improving the connection between education, employability, and innovation.

The agri-food sector is currently undergoing one of the most significant transformations in recent decades. Digitalization, sustainability, automation, new production models, traceability, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology are no longer future trends — they are already part of the present for companies and for the professionals who will lead the evolution of the food industry in the coming years.

In this context, at artica+i we firmly believe that collaboration between universities and companies is one of the key pillars for building a more competitive, innovative, and future-ready agri-food ecosystem.

For this reason, we recently had the privilege of participating in the establishment of the new External Advisory Board of the Food Engineering Degree at ETSIAAB-UPM  (Technical School of Agricultural, Food and Biosystems Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Madrid), represented by our Business Development Director, Fernando Boned Colera.

A space to build the future of food engineering

The Advisory Board brings together leading companies, associations, and institutions from the Spanish agri-food ecosystem with a clear objective: to help university education evolve in alignment with the real needs of the business sector. Participants include organizations such as FIAB, AECOC, Campofrío, González-Byass, ALFA LAVAL and Lallemand, , all working to strengthen the alignment between university training and the real needs of the food and agri-industrial industries.

During the meeting held on April 20, 2026, the Board addressed some of the main challenges facing the Food Engineering Degree and today’s agri-food industry, including:

• The need to strengthen digital and technological skills.
• The incorporation of data analysis and visualization tools.
• Strengthening external academic internships.
• Improving the connection between education, employability, and business innovation.

New university–industry cooperation initiatives were also presented, including:

• Professional mentoring programs.
• External academic internships.
• Final degree and master’s projects connected to industrial reality.

In addition, new specialized training formats such as micro-credentials and jointly delivered activities between universities and companies were discussed.

Special attention was also given to the ABET and EUR-ACE international accreditation processes, two of the most prestigious quality certifications in the field of engineering, which reinforce the international positioning of the degree.

“Agri-food innovation requires real spaces for collaboration between universities, companies, and technology. Participating in this Advisory Board allows us to contribute a business perspective while also helping to develop the talent that will lead the sector’s transformation in the coming years,” said Fernando Boned, Business Development Director at artica+i.

This initiative is part of an already established collaboration with ETSIAAB, which has included sponsorship of the Best Final Degree Project Award since 2024, reinforcing the commitment to recognizing academic excellence.

Beyond innovation: building ecosystems

At artica+i, we have spent more than 30 years working on collaborative R&D&I projects, innovation ecosystems, technology transfer, and digitalization initiatives applied to the agri-food sector.

Our participation in this Advisory Board fully aligns with our vision: innovation does not happen in isolation. It emerges when universities, companies, technology centers, associations, and public administrations collaborate to address shared challenges.

One of the most enriching aspects of the meeting was sharing ideas with leading organizations in the national agri-food sector and discussing the skills future industry professionals will need.

Among the key topics discussed were:

• Growing demand for hybrid professional profiles.
• The importance of data analysis and visualization.
• The incorporation of digital tools and automation.
• Industrial process management.
• The need to strengthen competencies related to leadership, communication, and teamwork in multidisciplinary environments.

“Companies need professionals capable of integrating technology, sustainability, management, and innovation. University–industry collaboration is no longer optional; it is a strategic element for building a more competitive and future-ready agri-food sector,” highlighted Fernando Boned.

An opportunity to position food engineering

One of the most interesting discussions within the Board focused on the need to improve awareness and recognition of the Food Engineering Degree within the Spanish business landscape.

The agri-food industry increasingly demands professionals with technical vision, adaptability, and multidisciplinary knowledge. However, there is still room to further highlight the unique value these professionals bring in areas such as:

• Food quality and safety.
• Industrial processes.
• Sustainability.
• Automation.
• Innovation.
• Operations management.

At artica+i, we believe that initiatives such as this Advisory Board are essential to strengthening this positioning and building a much more fluid and strategic relationship between universities and companies.

We understand innovation as an open and collaborative process. Being part of this Advisory Board allows us not only to contribute business expertise, but also to listen to and anticipate the needs of an agri-food sector undergoing profound technological and sustainable transformation.

Because the future of the agri-food sector will not depend solely on technology. It will also depend on our ability to connect knowledge, talent, innovation, and collaboration.