Creation of an Excellence Group to Foster the Design of Affordable, Sustainable, and Healthy Foods

THRIVE aims to establish an ERA Chair team in Sustainable Food Structuring Technologies at CBQF, led by Prof. Lília Ahrné, a world-leading researcher in the field of Food Structuring Technologies. This ERA Chairs programme will enhance the scientific excellence and innovation capacity of CBQF and Portugal by implementing an interdisciplinary research group to support the development new processes for the structural design of future sustainable and healthy foods from plant-based sources, while using a novel “fork-to-farm” approach that involves not only researchers but also consumers, producers, and retailers in the co-creation of sustainable food value chains. The proposed activities will contribute to the green transition of the Agri-Food sector, a strategic area for Portugal and Europe, while making sure that new food product designs are both technically feasible and tailored to customer’s needs and preferences. THRIVE will also implement structural changes and support measures to improve the R&I performance of CBQF. Thus, with THRIVE, CBQF wants to position itself as an international hub at the helm of cutting-edge R&I in Food Science, with a strong impact on the regional, national, and European ecosystems.