The first Winter Senior School at UoC as part of the 2nd Edition of 10 Days of INGENIUM

The University of Crete hosted the second edition of the 10 Days of INGENIUM event and the first INGENIUM Winter Senior School entitled “The Carob Challenge: A Paradigm of Sustainable Development and Innovation”.

During 5 – 9 February, students and staff from all ten European INGENIUM Universities visited Rethymno to attend workshops, lectures and meetings that promote the activities of the INGENIUM alliance.

Master’s and PhD students, early career researchers, and mentors participated in an interdisciplinary winter school that follows the complete sustainability pathway of the carob tree, giving them the opportunity to develop skills of holistic approach, collaboration, and critical thinking.

Distinguished scientists in the field presented many aspects of the carob and provided valuable insights into this product: Carob through history and its ecocultural landscape, its cultivars, and the benefits in farming. Participants learnt for the biochemical structure of carob, its genome, and its bioactive properties. They were also introduced to the value chain and economic vulnerability of carob, its resilience and impact on social sustainability, while learning how innovation and sustainability are linked to the production of carob products today.

The participants of the INGENIUM Winter Senior School not only learned about carob, but also fermenting with carob flour and tasting their own carob bakery products. On the final day, student teams presented their carob-based projects that combined innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainability.

During their stay, the participants visited the facilities of the Foundation of Research and Technology – Hellas in Heraklion and some of the Institute’s most advanced laboratories. This edition of the 10 Days of INGENIUM proved to be an opportunity to promote interdisciplinary and inter-institutional cooperation, to strengthen the networking of students and staff and to create long-term synergies between partners.

Last but not least, the 10 Days of INGENIUM event is a “statement” of commitment to the common goals and values of the INGENIUM European University.