25 food enthusiasts from across the world embarked on their FIPDes dream on 4th September, 2017 in Paris. As we trotted into AgroParisTech with much enthusiasm (and a little frozen with the winter setting in!) little did we know that one week of highly informative and resourceful, exciting, multi-linguistic and gastronomical experience lay ahead. It was the much awaited FIPDes week!

Monday: It kick-started with a warm welcome speech by Dr. Barbara Rega (FIPDes Coordinator) followed by a presentation by the entire FIPDes team (professors and universities), professor- student- alumni introductions and the ’FIPDes Survival kit’ handed over by Cohort 6 and FIPDA (FIPDes Alumni Association). This gave me immense clarity on the course structure and my choice for my 2nd year Master thesis.

Tuesday: A visit to Danone R&D, Palaiseau with a taste of the industrial culture (and of course their products!) and an insight into their food formulation labs and life elaborated on the need for consumer-centric research and prospects post course completion.

Wednesday: The third day was for "unity in diversity", it showed the value of interculturality and to learn our friend’s culture. Followed by team building activities, which brought us closer and end with a lot of memories, photos and the party with the previous cohort.

Thursday: The highlight of the week was the FIPDes day with an eye-opening series of Master thesis flash presentations and poster display alongside each university presenting it’s spectacular research and advancements in food R&D.
It started with the smile and experience sharing from the alumni, and their motivation was countless, also they inspired a lot in diverse ways like research, further studies and our responsibilities in the food industry. The thesis presentation from cohort 5, made us sleepless because we were impressed by seeing the innovative ideas and the quality of work they have done, and apart from the FIPDes activities, some students show their creative skills in different filed for the betterment of the society. Also, the FIPDes day gave an opportunity to interact with industries, alumni, professors and students alike and it helped us to learn some tips about the internship and the job opportunities after the graduation, to build team spirit, individuality and harmony like one big family.

Friday: The week ended on a bitter-sweet note as the graduating cohort was bid a tearful goodbye. The most heard sentence from cohort 5 was “Be cool and don’t forget to enjoy the FIPDes journey”.
I was blown away by the effort that the entire FIPDes team painstakingly took in order to make this FIPDes week a once in a lifetime experience for everyone.
With an elaborate schedule planned for us right since day one, FIPDes ensured that not just our two years but even our very first week is multi-disciplinary, balanced, interactive, inter-cultural, personalised, multi-cuisine and UNFORGETTABLE!

Article written thanks to Pallavi Shriyan and Manava Bhushan Dhamodharan, Cohort 7