Partners
Contact
Dr. Achraf Ammar
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schöllhorn
Prof. Dr. Juliane Heydenreich
Prof. Dr. Christiana Schallhorn
Dr. Nicole Birkle
Mrs. Nils Hammerle
uni-mainz.de
Contact: [email protected]
Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität
Mainz, GERMANY
The Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz (JGU) was founded in 1946 and harbors ~31,000 students of 120 nationalities. They are educated by ~570 professors distribu- ted over 100 institutes and clinics. The JGU is considered one of the most prestigious universities in Germany. According to the “Reuters Top 100 – World’s Most Innovative Universities 2019” ranking, JGU belongs to the top 100 most innovative universities worldwide. In a national comparison, JGU achieved an outstanding fourth place for the second year in a row. The JGU received 147 million Euro third-party funding in 2020 and is experienced in coordinating several EU projects, including HORIZON 2020 projects (e.g., CARMEN, FORTEe, PanCareSurPass, SElectiveLi). The Institute of Sport Science is integrated into the Faculty of Social Science, Media and Sports at JGU. It is constituted of eight professorships: Training and Movement Science, Nutrition and Sports, Sports Sociology/Economy, Sports Pedagogy and Sports Didactics, Sports Psychology, Sports Medicine, Theory and Practice of Sports, and Sports History.
Role in MEDIET4ALL
JGU will spearhead collaborative research activities, conducting a multicenter survey-based study to understand MED consumer behavior, measure initial adherence rates, and identify sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and cultural determinants. Additionally, JGU will design and implement tailored MEDlifestyle programs, targeting diverse consumer groups. The university will lead testing for the acceptability and efficacy of these approaches through multicenter interventional case studies. JGU’s responsibilities extend to developing and implementing (digital) educational toolkits, awareness campaigns, and promotional materials. Their involvement encompasses the selection of low-processed recipes, the establishment of multicenter MEDIET databases/supply chains, and the creation of the MEDIET4ALL integrative platform and smart m-coach. JGU will ensure consortium coordination, governance, and project management, and actively participate in communication, dissemination, and exploitation activities.
Université Bourgogne Europe
Dijon, FRANCE
Université Bourgogne Europe (UBE) is a multidisciplinarity higher education institution, founded in 1722, for both education and research, and particularly well ranked for food sciences in the well-known ARWU, Shanghai or Leiden rankings. UB welcomes more than 35,000 students, among them 3300 coming from 125 countries and more than 1000 PhD’s, hosts 8 faculties and 7 institutes and Engineering schools, support by 1550 education and research staff, and 1300 administrative and technical staff. Ub is recognized for research in 6 fields of excellence : Food and environment / Photonic and advanced materials / Molecular engineering and Health / Learning and care / Heritage and territories / Vine and Wine. The Dijon’s campus host a consortium of Higher education and research institutions in tight partnership with UB : INRAé, Institut Agro-Dijon, CNRS, INSERM, CHU (University Hospital), Institute of research on cancer CGFL, which co-supervise some of the research units.
Role in MEDIET4ALL
The Joint Unit “Food Processing and Microbiology” UMR PAM A02.102 (UB+ Institut Agro Dijon (IAD)) is a major player in scientific and technological progress in food and wine knowledge and technologies. Their scientific focus involves understanding physical, chemical, and biological phenomena to enhance food quality and develop new foods and processes. UMR PAM will lead WP3 and is involved in WP2, WP4, and WP7, specifically focusing on eco-friendly packaging for food med recipes.
The Joint unit “Centre for Taste and Feeding Behavior” UMR CSGA (UB+ IAD and INRAe) The unit possesses worldwide acknowledged and complementary competences in the release of compounds from food matrices, sensory analysis, cognitive and behavioral phenomena, and the mechanisms involved in chemical communication and feeding behaviors. UMR CSGA’s involvement in WP2 is centered around sensory behavior of consumers and panelists.
Contact
Prof. Dr. Frédéric Debeaufort
Dr. Nasreddine Benbettaieb
Prof. Fabrice Neiers
Eng. Clément Poulain
ube.fr
Contact: [email protected]
Contact
Mrs. Laura Reyes
Vitagora
Dijon, FRANCE
Vitagora is a food innovation cluster and professional association based in Dijon and managing the French regions of Burgundy-Franche-Comté and Île-de-France. A major food innovation player in Europe, Vitagora facilitates a dynamic innovation ecosystem of 650 members – start-ups, food and health businesses, public and private research in France and throughout the world, and international partners. These members collaborate on joint actions and R&D projects developing food products and services and integrating new food markets around the world. In addition, Vitagora provides its members with thought leadership and industry insights, ecosystem building, business acceleration, as well as day-to-day support, to drive their development in France and abroad. Vitagora is a holder of the Gold Label of European Cluster Excellence since 2015. Three key areas of scientific and technological excellence are thus targeted, responding to increasing consumer demand for wellness through food: wellness through eating pleasure, wellness through physical health, but also wellness through a link to our environment, protected by sustainable agri-food industry practices. ToasterLab, powered by Vitagora, is an acceleration program for innovative start-ups and SMEs searching for growth patterns.
Role in MEDIET4ALL
Vitagora has experience in EU-projects set-up and support, as well as an expertise and an important role in the dissemination and communication of the agrifood sector. In the MEDIET4ALL project, Vitagora plays a central role as the leader of WP7, contributing to the development of educational resources, digital campaigns on social media, market analysis, communication, and the formulation of sustainable business models. Its commitment extends to ensuring the long-term impact of the project through a sustainability plan.
Universitat de València
Valencia, SPAIN
Universitat de València (UV) is one of the oldest public universities in Spain (funded in 1499) and has more than 3000 researchers in 84 departments, 21 institutes and 5 other research units, belonging to social, biomedical, human, experimental and formal sciences. UV has a remarkable international dimension: top 300 in the world, top 147 in Europe and top 5 in Spain, being the 26th in Food Technology area (ARWU “Shanghai” Ranking).
BIONUTEST-UV group focuses its research on the evaluation of the bioaccessibility, bioavailability and functionality of bioactive compounds and functional foods as well as on the development of new fermented foods from sustainable raw materials or by-products generated in the food industry.
Role in MEDIET4ALL
The BIONUTEST-UV research group leads WP2, focusing on enhancing the nutritional and antioxidant potential of traditional MedRecipes. Their task involves reshaping these recipes to create quick and modern alternatives with improved nutritional, antioxidant, and hypoallergenic properties. Additionally, the group collaborates in WP3, contributing expertise to assess antibacterial and antioxidant properties of natural extracts and conducting shelf-life studies on packaged food.
Contact
Dr. Amparo Gamero
Dr. Antonio Cilla
Dr. Mónica Gandía
Dr. Guadalupe García-Llatas
Dr. Reyes Barberá
Dr. Amparo Alegría
Msc. Marta Cuenca
www.uv.es/bionutest
Contact: [email protected]
Contact
Prof. Paolo Inglese
Prof. Luigi Botta
Prof. Nicola Francesca
Prof. Concetta Maria Messina
Prof. Giuseppe Sortino
Prof. Aldo Todaro
www.unipa.it
Contact: [email protected]
Università degli Studi di Palermo
Palermo, ITALY
Università degli Studi di Palermo was founded in 1806 by Ferdinand III of Bourbon, the University of Palermo has 16 departments, 70 degree courses covering 10 scientific subject areas and currently has over 40,000 students enrolled. Role in the projects: The UNIPA team’s participation in the project is coordinated by the Department of Agri-Food Sciences and Forestry (SAAF), which will be responsible for food science and technology domain, with the collaboration of the Department of Earth and Sea Sciences (DISTEM), which will provide expertise on production and quality of marine and aquatic food products and extraction of marine bioactive molecules from by-products and the Department of Engineering, which will participate in packaging-related actions (mainly WP2 and WP3).
Role in MEDIET4ALL
UNIPA will play a key role in both WP2 and WP3, taking the lead in T2.4 “Optimizing mild technologies for MedMeals preparation.” UniPA has pioneered the development of technologies, including modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), cold smoking, vacuum, slurry ice, drying, on specific foods (cheese, fish, beverage, fruits and vegetables). These established technologies can be effectively applied to the creation of new recipes.
Université de Sfax
Sfax, TUNISIA
The University of Sfax (Université de Sfax – UoSF) was created in 1986, endowed with a rich cultural heritage and ideal geographical location as well as both regional and international reputation, the UoSF includes 19 institutions of higher education in diverse disciplines and offers comprehensive trainings and four major areas: Basic and Technical Sciences, Medical and Health Sciences as well as Sports and Physical Education, Law, Management and Economics, Languages, Arts and Humanities. UoSF is considerably open to its socio-economic environment and has developed a significant number of partnerships with many companies in the area. UoSF has built a network of International collaboration with many international universities and institutions through several research, mobility, exchange programs and bilateral agreements with France, Spain, Italy Turkey, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Algeria, Japan and others. Overall, it remains the top university in the country and it ranked 10th in US news list of top Arab region universities and among the top thousand universities in the world in 2017.
Contact
Prof. Bassem Bouaziz
Prof. Dr. Walid Mahdi
Prof. Dr. Khouloud Boukadi
Prof. Dr. Khaled Trabelsi
Contact: [email protected]
Microtarians
Luxembourg, LUXEMBOURG
Microtarians is a social impact company (non-profit) and accredited training institute, specialized in ancient and modern food processing techniques, especially focusing on the use of microorganisms. Its peculiar objective is to foster advances in research related to microbiota, to compare cultural and geographical lifestyles, to promote the transformation of food systems to deliver co-benefits for climate (mitigation and adaptation), environmental sustainability and circularity, dietary shift, modern healthy nutrition, food poverty reduction and empowerment of communities. Fermentation is specially advantageous in this aspect as “second and third quality” ingredients can be cheaply purchased and upcycled into Mediterranean “Superfood”. – Microtarians’ key competences are: (i) associated chef and staff are originated from MedCulture, (ii) know-how and great expertise in processing food and analyzing recipes by their traditional way of preparation (processing and ingredients), (iii) food modernisation in term of user-friendly properties for 21st century, (iv) experts in nutritional aspects.
Role in MEDIET4ALL
Microtarians will contribute by assessing the economic, societal, and environmental importance of fermented foods in the MEDIET, exploring the role of microorganisms in Mediterranean food production, proposing fermentation-based solutions for improved nutritional properties, minimizing packaging and processing inputs, personalizing and standardizing recipes for their beneficial effects, and employing a multi-actor approach through interdisciplinary research.
École Nationale d'Agriculuture de Meknès
Meknès, MOROCCO
The National School of Agriculture in Meknes (École Nationale d’Agriculture de Meknès – ENA), the oldest Moroccan agronomic and food sciences higher institution (founded in 1942). Since its founding, it has continuously evolved to meet the changing needs of Moroccan agriculture and agri-food sector through training future agricultural engineers in diverse areas: environmental science, agricultural engineering, food processing engineering, food by-products valorization, agribusiness and marketing and rural development engineering. To meet the challenges of the current Moroccan sustainable development strategy for the agricultural sector, called “Green Generation 2020-2030,” ENA is currently working toward goals such as promoting healthy foods production, consumption and safety and sustainable management of agriculture resources, preserving biodiversity, strengthening Moroccan farms productive capacities and agri-food by-products and wastewater treatment, valorization, and reuse. ENA is striving to boost transfer of know-how aiming to improve the adherence of Moroccan consumers to Mediterranean diet by adopting innovative marketing and promotional actions. Owing to its close collaboration with other national academic institutions, Moroccan farmers, SMEs and the agri-industry sector, ENA works together with a well-established network of partners both in the government and private sectors. National School of Agriculture, Meknès (ENA Meknès) AcopTech (Food and Food By-products Chemistry and Processing Technology) team embodies a dynamic, motivating, and intellectually stimulating environment, driven by a steadfast commitment to enhancing the resilience of Moroccan agricultural systems in the face of climate change.
Role in MEDIET4ALL
AcopTech ENA Meknès takes the lead in WP4. This involves the development of multicenter databases containing information about MEDIET’s products, as well as their producers and providers. The team’s responsibilities extend to building a resilient Network and Multicenter MEDIET supply chain, aiming to improve the accessibility and availability of Mediterranean products. Furthermore, active collaboration with project partners across different WPs ensures the effective implementation and overall impact of the project.
Contact
Prof. Aadil Bajoub
Prof. Ilham Belkoura
Prof. Jamila Malek
Prof. Sanae el Moussafir
Prof. Said Ennahli
Contact: [email protected]
Contact
Prof. El Amine Ajal
Faculté de Médecine et de Pharmacie de Rabat
Rabat, MOROCCO
Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Rabat founded in 1962 is the oldest public health institute in Morocco. The FMPR has been standing out for its high level of research activity, having international distinctions, and attracting competitive research programs at the national and international levels. It has trained nearly14,500 doctors and 2,500 pharmacists. As for the research, the FMPR is a national leader in terms of scientificproduction the total number of published articles indexed exceeds an average of 400 annually. It has three accredited research centers, three research laboratories and about twenty research teams.
Role in MEDIET4ALL
FMPR holds a pivotal role, leveraging its team’s vast experience in developing analytical methods and utilizing separation techniques for quality control in foods and the analysis of natural products in biological samples. The faculty’s expertise encompasses both in vitro and in vivo assessments of the biological properties of natural products, with a specific focus on their health-related attributes. This aligns seamlessly with the objectives outlined in WP3 and WP4.
Université de M’hamed Bougara Boumerdès
Boumerdès, ALGERIA
The M’Hamed BOUGARA University of Boumerdès (Université de Boumerdès – UMBB) is a public Algerian University created in 1998 on the basis of the grouping of six National Institutes whose creation dates back to the 60s, 70s and 80s, the University has opened, since its creation, other courses in Science and Technology, Natural and Life Sciences, Economic and Management Sciences, Commercial Sciences, Law and Language and Foreign Literatures in the classical system. UMBB is partner of several International research and education programmes; it has been involved in PHC Maghreb Projects, H2020 Projects, interuniversity cible Project(Pic),Wallonie projects, Earasmus projects. The VALCOR (valuation and conservation of biological resources) belongs to the Faculty of Science(UMBB) with main research axis focusing on the formulation of MedDait healthy, rich in proteins (alternatives) with the exploitation and conservation of Bioresources in Mediterranean countries and verification of the allergencity of suggested recipes.
Role in MEDIET4ALL
UMBB will contribute to: (i) a mapping of the prevalence of allergic diseases and the sources of food allergens in the MedRegion will be performed to help (exclude) recipes with high risk of allergenicity,(ii) and a protein analysis and determination of allergenic molecules of extracts based on Medrecipes
Contact
Dr. Lahiani Sadjia
Prof. Fatma Sahir Halouane
Prof. Abdelbasset Kefti
Prof. Kamel Djenouhat
Dr. Oukala Nadira
Dr. Taha Khaldi
Contact: [email protected]
