Marking the beginning of a two-year-long adventure, FIPDes Week 2026 served as the perfect starting point for the newest group of enthusiastic foodies: Cohort 15. Throughout a five-day introduction week, the newly arrived students were able to immerse themselves in everything the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree in Food Innovation and Product Design has to offer them. Each day, Cohort 15 got a taste of the exciting projects, ambitious challenges, multifaceted learning, and inspiring leadership that this intercultural programme entails.
A welcoming breakfast kicked off the week, as Cohort 15 finally got to meet in person. They conversed with students of Cohort 14, as well as greeted members of the FIPDes team from AgroParisTech, such as Barbara Rega and Lucile Deloince. This day was a warm and comfortable start for the group as they gathered for lunch, listened to Cohort 14’s “FIPDes Survival Kit” as initiation, and attended their first interculturality workshop.

On Tuesday, personal introductions were in high demand, as Cohort 15 formally introduced themselves to their peers, their future colleagues, and the members of the FIPDes Consortium. Some notable members of the Consortium, which Cohort 15 continued to mingle with during the week, included Roisin Burke from TU Dublin and Lars Palm from Lund University. Though many names needed to be memorized this day, the second day of FIPDes Week was also one with various highlights. First, the students made a short but insightful site visit to the Danone Research & Innovation Centre located in the Palaiseau Plateau. This visit was quite eye-opening for Cohort 15, as they got to know a little more about Danone’s objectives and their professional outlook. And to finish the evening on an even higher note, the group went on a Bateau-Mouche tour along the Seine River, officially embracing their new home for the next semester.

Day 3 of FIPDes Week filled Cohort 15 in on all the information regarding their options for their second-year specialization. Students got to listen to members of all the FIPDes universities that form part of this mobility programme. Between Lund University, University of Naples Federico II, and AgroParisTech, this group of students will soon follow in Cohort 14’s footsteps, as they begin to make up their minds about phase two of their journey. The rest of the day was spent working on their initial team building and collaboration abilities through a fun afternoon with Cohort 14.

FIPDes Day marked the pinnacle of the week as alumni, students, professors, collaborators, and partners attended AgroParisTech’s space with nothing to share but knowledge, curiosity and passion. Cohort 15 went through their day listening to real and personal testimonials from the FIPDA Steering Committee (FIPDes Alumni), getting a glimpse of the opportunities and direction FIPDes provides to its graduates. A week full of networking and anticipation was tied together by the exceptional conferences and notes from diverse guests; from functional ingredients to AI, Cohort 15 followed a series of interesting topics and applications that might later be their career paths. Not to mention, for the duration of the day, Cohort 13 presented rapidly their MSc. Theses, inviting everyone present to check out their final scientific posters. Once again, Cohort 15’s experience was enriched by witnessing first-hand the endless possibilities and accomplishments that their future in FIPDes will bring, as it did for their peers.

Before the end of the week, Cohort 15 was there to see the Award Ceremony of the Molecular Gastronomy Note à Note International Competition. This properly introduced the new students to what their semester at TU Dublin might look like and how Molecular Gastronomy concepts can be applied.

Finally, the long-awaited moment arrived when Cohort 15 got to attend Cohort 13’s Graduation. The beautiful ceremony took place at Cité Universitaire, as it traditionally does. Several graduates delivered their closing speeches, reminiscing of the last two years they had spent together. They shared their best moments and memories, the lessons learned, and their best advice to the next generation of FIPDes: Cohort 15.

It is evident that FIPDes is not only a place to learn about Food Innovation and Product Design, but a place where one finds a new family and learns more about themselves. Every bit of the week was a reflection of the commitment, humane vision, open-hearted goal, and inspiring path that FIPDes builds in each of its graduates. This year, 24 new students have started walking that path, ready to take on its challenges, and more than ready to eat the world.