ECOTROPHELIA is a food innovation competition dedicated to students in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with the objective of developing an innovative food project from A to Z. In fact, the competition is a major catalyst for students, it allows them to learn more than what they would have in a classic curriculum. Thanks to this project, students learn all aspects of a company: R&D, marketing, packaging, quality, finance, etc, and improve sought and valued skills by companies. Indeed, through the years, the competition consolidate its reputation among food companies thanks to ECOTROPHELIA participants’ good understanding of all aspects of operating food business and challenges involved in developing a food product.

Furthermore, by asking students to develop all aspects of a food product, the Ecotrophelia competition is helping to awaken the entrepreneurial talents of some of the participants and has led them to launch their own start-up.

The ECOTROPHELIA competition had also an influence on HEIs and their curricula. By entering the competition, some HEIs understood the value of the ECOTROPHELIA competition in terms of skills acquisition and incorporated it in their curriculum. The benefits for students and professors are many, but most of all, the development of an ECOTROPHELIA food product in the curriculum offers non-traditional approach of lecture with the introduction of project-based learning. Students cover all aspect of their curriculum by working on a real project. While for professors and universities, the challenge of winning the competition push them in being innovative in their way of teaching and earn recognition of their curriculum quality.

For the food industry, ECOTROPHELIA is a real eye-opener and a great platform of innovation and inspiration for this sector. It allows capitalising on the limitless creativity and energy of our brightest and most enterprising students, supported by the best Universities and High Education Institutes. Moreover, by encompassing all the issues a company must face in order to grow and to develop a food product, ECOTROPHELIA participates in providing better future employees and food leaders who understand the challenges of the food industry. Finally, the students develop an entrepreneurial mindset to build suitable and equitable solutions in an increasingly uncertainty and volatile world, thus preparing them for a career to actively shape a different food system.

Keywords: Collaborative and problem-based learning, Creativity and design thinking, New experiences for curriculum design, Multi-disciplinary studies, Entrepreneurship education.