The ‘Byp4Dev’ project presents an online pilot course to become an expert in the valorisation of by-products from the agro-industrial sector.

Targeted at vocational training or university students and working professionals who want to complete their knowledge, the consortium composed of entities from Spain, Finland, Greece, Latvia and Portugal is launching an open online pilot course after 19 months of work for the creation of a new professional profile of expert in the valorisation of by-products from the agro-industrial sector.

The course, with a length of 55 hours and a recommended schedule of 7 weeks, will address issues such as new trends and market opportunities in the development of by-products and the valorisation of waste from agricultural, livestock and agri-food industries, the main technologies available for this type of processes, biocompounds and successful business strategies.

The professional profile of an expert in the valorisation of by-products from the agro-industrial sector does not exist in the current formal educational structures. The main objective of ‘Byp4Dev’ is its integration in vocational training programmes, as well as the fulfilment of the needs and opportunities offered by the bio-based labour market and the generation of bio-products.

The course content has been developed by the members of the `Byp4Dev’ consortium: FUNDECYT-PCTEX , the R&D&i support entity of Extremadura in Spain, together with the area of biotechnology, food engineering and bioeconomy solutions of the HAMK University of Applied Sciences in Finland; the Vidzeme Planning Region in Latvia; the consultancy EXELIA from Greece, with extensive experience in developing and deploying innovative approaches to research, interregional cooperation and training; and the Agroindustrial Cluster Association of Central Portugal, InovCluster.

CONTENT AND REGISTRATION

Participants will gain an in-depth understanding of the situation regarding the prevention and generation of waste and by-products, the importance of their valorisation (from bioprocesses, mechanical or extractive methods) and the value chain of biomass and bio-based products.

In addition, the main biocompounds that can be obtained from the by-products of different crops, or circular business models and their scaling, or the importance of multidisciplinary teams and circular ecosystems will be part of the training offered by ‘Byp4Dev’.

Registration for the course (which is conducted in English due to the international nature of the project), which is open and free of charge, can already be formalised on the website http://www.byp4dev.eu/mooc/. The `Byp4Dev’ project is funded by the European Erasmus+ programme (which supports initiatives related to education, training, youth and sport in Europe), bringing together a European consortium to work on the design of a new professional profile that did not exist until now, that of an expert in the valorisation of by-products and waste in the agri-food sector.