Industry Community Project
Rethinking food systems for better health and sustainability
The programme is based on an inter-disciplinary learning journey bearing 6 credits designed and delivered by professors of the Universities of Padua, Sydney and Lausanne, together with local partners from the industry.The latter will introduce a challenge and/or case study that the students will be encouraged to work on/solve.
Programme Summary
Urbanisation, climate change, and globalised trade have profoundly reshaped food systems. While cities concentrate economic opportunity and innovation capacity, they also intensify environmental pressures, social inequalities, and vulnerabilities in food supply chains.
Food systems are currently exceeding multiple planetary boundaries, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, soil degradation, and water pollution. At the same time, malnutrition, obesity, food insecurity, and food injustice persist across both high-income and low-income settings.
Urban food systems sit at the intersection of agriculture, public health, economic development, environmental protection, and social inclusion. Their transformation requires coordination across governance levels and stakeholders, from producers and distributors to consumers and policymakers.
International reports, including recent work by the HLPE, the IPCC, and the EAT–Lancet Commission, highlight the urgent need to redesign food systems to ensure resilience, sustainability, and equity. Cities are increasingly recognised as critical arenas for implementing this transformation.
Partners
ICPU is a collaborative programme designed and delivered by three internationally renowned Universities, i.e. the University of Padua (Italy), the University of Sydney (Australia) and the University of Lausanne (Switzerland). This year’s edition 2025/2026 will be hosted by the University of Lausanne. The project class will be made up of a mix of students from the three above mentioned universities (up to 75 students, 25 from each university). External partners (industries, community-organizations, other stakeholders) will also be involved throughout the project, and will assigned business cases to students.
Format
The project will combine online activities with field-trips and face-to-face classes held at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
Dates detail
- Week 1: 29 June - 4 July 2026 - remote work (online)
- Weeks 2 and 3: 6 - 17 July 2026 – travelling and face-to-face in Lausanne, Switzerland
- Week 4: 20 - 26 July: remote work (online)
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the programme, students will be able to:
LO1. Demonstrate critical awareness of, and apply, disciplinary knowledge, skills, and personal attributes to address complex real-world problems
LO2. Assess and integrate diverse stakeholder perspectives to generate innovative insights into complex problems
LO3. Purposefully select and apply complex problem-solving approaches and methods
LO4. Communicate novel ideas effectively and persuasively in professional settings using relevant media
LO5. Demonstrate professionalism (proficiency, adaptivity, and proactivity) in collaborative project work
Contact: virtual.exchange@unipd.it
Supervisor: Mara Thiene
Co-supervisors: Roberto Antonietti, Martino Cassandro, Caroline Clark, Francesca Gambino, Luigi Marfè, Alex Martucci, Zuleika Murat, Marco Patruno, Enrico Zucchi
Info Day Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at 5 pm CET
Webinar link: https://unipd.zoom.us/j/88553628733
Useful information
When: June 29 - July 26, 2026
Where: University of Lausanne, Switzerland
Cost: Participating students receive Erasmus+ grant for mobility and travel.
Applications are open until April 30, 2026 at 1pm CET
The programme is part of the Global Intensives call
Archive
Edition 2022
Deadline: 5th April 2022, at 1 pm
2021 - international innovative teaching project
From June 28 to July 23, the University of Padua inaugurates the new ICPU - Industry and Community Project - international innovative teaching project, developed in collaboration with the University of Sydney.
The course offers students from the University of Padua and the University of Sydney the opportunity to acquire soft skills, relationship skills, teamwork and a "problem-solving" approach. In order to promote their personal and professional growth, the students will be supervised by entrepreneurs and industrialists. They will work in mixed groups of 10, each with deliberately different profiles (psychology, engineering, statistics, medicine, etc.), and from Padua and Sydney.
The project foresees a compact didactic path of 6 CFU, based on the Department of Territory and Agro-forestry systems. The direction of the course is headed by prof. Mara Thiene (University of Padua) and prof. Rosalind Deaker (University of Sydney).
Among the industrial and institutional partners there are: KPMG, Harris Farm, Ferrero, illycaffé, Nonino, Jonix, Brazzale, Brazzale, Ancoral, EU Spokesperson at the WTO and the Regione Veneto.
2020 - Food for Thought - Rethinking food systems for better health and sustainability
In collaboration with the University of Padova, held at the University of Sydney
- Period: 28th January-14th February 2020
- ECTS: 6
- Participants: 25 selected students from the University of Padova and 25 selected students from the University of Sydney
2019 - The future of milk
"The future of milk" in collaboration with the University of Padova, held at the University of Sydney
- Period: 4th-22nd February 2019
- ECTS: 6
- Participants: 25 selected students from the University of Padova and 25 selected students from the University of Sydney
- Projects and partners, general overview
2019 - Food and Health
"Food and Health" in collaboration with the University of Sydney, held at the University of Padova, in partnership with Brazzale Italy
- Period: 24th June-9th July 2019
- ECTS: 6
- Participants: 25 selected students of the University of Padova and 25 selected students of the University of Sydney
Food systems and human health are inextricably linked, and depend on trust and agreement between all actors in the food value chain as well as adequate world food policy frameworks. The rates of non-communicable diseases have increased rapidly in recent years, particularly in developed countries and in urban areas of countries with economies in transition. Virtually all of these disorders are diet-related and, not surprisingly, do not respond well to the pharmaceutical model that characterises today's health care paradigm. Therefore, promoting better nutrition is a major goal in order to reduce non-communicable disease. Brazzale (est. 1784), is the oldest Italian dairy company and you will be exposed to the Italian food production system through visits to a range of farms, food and beverage processors and manufacturers including dairy, pasta and prosecco. In this project, you will look at smart food or food designed for health and wellness as it is the fastest growing food and beverage category resulting from a sharp rise in non-communicable chronic diseases.
Projects and Mobility Office
Palazzo Anselmi
Lungargine del Piovego n.1, 2nd floor - 35131 Padua, Italy
E-mail: international.projects@unipd.it
