FIPDes Week 2024 was an inspiring start to my journey as part of Cohort 13. It all started with the Welcome Day, where cohort 13 gathered on the rooftop for breakfast and had the opportunity to meet the FIPDes team—the morning continued with the opening speech of the FIPDes coordinator, Barbara Rega. It was a wonderful opportunity for the students to get to know each other and chat quickly with all FIPDes professors. Monday was the day for students to get an overview of the different study tracks and ask questions. However, Monday was not only introduction lectures from professors, Cohort 12 presented their “FIPDes survival kit” with many useful tips and tricks, making the whole experience relatable and personal.
Tuesday was an exciting day since the students had the opportunity to visit Lesaffre-Biospringer, where they learned about biotechnological innovations that shape the food industry today. Later in the day, the students enjoyed a beautiful Bateau Mouche tour, which allowed them to see Paris in all its glory and get to know some of the students from Cohort 12 and 11.

The following day Cohort 12 organised an amazing set of activities for the new students, including dancing and a variety of games. This was a nice opportunity for the students to get to know each other better while working in a culturally diverse team.
FIPDes Day on Thursday was a day full of academic energy and inspiration. The students listened to presentations from all consortium universities—AgroParisTech, UNINA, Lund University, and TU Dublin—along with an engaging alumni session. It was particularly interesting to see all the flash presentations of the graduating students. The day finished with a cocktail and a poster session during which the students from Cohort 13 could connect with more of the graduating students and ask as many questions regarding the programme, life in different cities, and their personal views on the specialization tracks.

The week concluded with the graduation ceremony of Cohort 11, hosted at the Fondation Biermans-Lapôtre, which was a very elegant event. The ceremony was beautifully organized with live music and the whole program was organized by the students from Cohort 11. Students from Cohort 12 and 13 had the chance to be part of this wonderful event. The day finished with a celebratory farewell cocktail. FIPDes Week 2024 was not only about learning and formal events but also about new friendships and memories.