In a world connected by the internet, a student in Portugal can now run experiments on equipment in Norway, collaborating with peers in Belgium to redesign the future of food.
Imagine a university student in Lisbon designing a new plant-based protein. She has the idea, the scientific knowledge, and the passion. What she lacks is access to a multi-million-euro pilot plant—the essential, small-scale production facility needed to test her recipe outside the lab. For decades, this physical barrier has stifled innovation.
Today, Open and Distance Learning (ODL) is dismantling this barrier. Through digital platforms and collaborative models, European universities are beginning to share their most valuable physical resources remotely. This fusion of virtual education and shared infrastructure is creating a new, more democratic playbook for educating the food engineers of tomorrow.
Food engineering is the science of transforming raw agricultural materials into the safe, nutritious, and appealing foods we consume daily. It's a discipline that bridges theory and practice, where hands-on experience is not just beneficial, but critical. This experience is traditionally gained in pilot plants—facilities housing equipment like pasteurizers, fermenters, and packaging lines that mimic industrial production.
However, these plants are prohibitively expensive to build and maintain. Not every university can afford one, creating a significant gap between theoretical knowledge and practical skills for students at less-resourced institutions. This disparity limits the overall pool of talent and slows the pace of innovation in the food sector, a industry facing immense pressure to become more sustainable and efficient7 .
A 2021 survey of European universities highlighted these challenges, noting that a lack of resources and co-funding were major obstacles to deep collaboration. Many institutions reported difficulties even in finding partners, let alone sharing expensive infrastructure6 . The result was an uneven playing field for both students and researchers.
Open and Distance Learning is emerging as a powerful solution to this physical limitation. ODL refers to flexible educational models that use digital technologies to deliver learning to students who are not physically present in a traditional classroom. In the context of food engineering, ODL is evolving beyond video lectures and online quizzes to enable remote, hands-on learning.
The European Union's European Universities Initiative is a key driver of this change. This ambitious project aims to create "bottom-up networks of universities across the EU" that allow for deep integration, including the sharing of facilities and resources6 . The vision is a student in one country seamlessly using the specialized lab of another, a concept made possible by ODL frameworks.
Students can access a pilot plant's control systems via a secure online portal. They can set parameters for a fermentation process, for example, and watch a live stream of the equipment in operation.
Before ever touching physical equipment, students can practice on a "digital twin"—a virtual, interactive model of the pilot plant. This allows for experimentation without risk.
Universities are developing joint courses where the curriculum explicitly relies on shared infrastructure. A course might include modules where all students remotely access specific equipment.
A concrete example of this new paradigm is taking shape at Lund University in Sweden. In 2025, the university launched the Lund University Pre-Pilot Plant (LUPPP), a research infrastructure with a clear objective: "advancing the scale-up processes related to food, biotechnology and chemical engineering"2 .
LUPPP is designed not just for Lund's students but as a resource for others. It operates within a framework called LTH Open Door, which explicitly offers companies and other institutions the chance to use its research infrastructure for a fee2 . This model is a template for how a university's physical assets can be integrated into a broader ODL ecosystem, providing a central hub for remote experiments and collaborative projects that students from multiple universities can access through their online learning platforms.
Increase in student access to equipment
Partner institutions
Remote experiments conducted monthly
The shift towards shared, digitally-accessible resources is changing the tools food engineering students need to master. The toolkit includes both physical reagents and digital solutions.
| Tool / Resource | Primary Function | Role in ODL & Shared Infrastructure |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot Fermenters | Cultivate microorganisms for products like yogurt or biofuels. | Can be operated remotely; students can input parameters and monitor fermentation cycles online. |
| Separation Equipment | Purify and concentrate food components (e.g., extracting sugar). | Specialized equipment can be accessed by a wider student pool via scheduled remote sessions. |
| 3D Food Printers | Create customized textures and shapes (e.g., printed chocolates). | Allows for design-focused learning; students can submit digital designs for remote printing1 . |
| Digital Twin Software | A virtual model of a physical process or plant. | Enables risk-free experimentation and practice before booking time on shared physical equipment. |
| Specialized Microscopy | Analyze the surface properties and microstructure of foods. | High-resolution images and data can be shared digitally for collaborative analysis in online classes. |
While the vision is powerful, the path is not without hurdles. The European University Association survey found that 68% of universities perceive legal obstacles and 59% cite administrative barriers as significant challenges to this kind of deep collaboration6 . Issues of liability, intellectual property, and differing national regulations must be solved.
Differing national regulations, liability concerns, and IP issues create significant barriers to collaboration.
Securing long-term funding for both hardware and digital infrastructure remains a challenge.
Ensuring seamless and secure remote access to specialized equipment requires robust technical solutions.
Furthermore, ensuring long-term sustainability and securing adequate funding are constant concerns6 . A successful model requires ongoing investment not just in hardware, but in the digital connectivity and technical support that make remote access seamless and secure.
Despite these challenges, the momentum is building. The success of initiatives like EIT Food, which has already engaged 40,000 learners in skill-based programs, demonstrates a massive appetite for flexible, innovative food education3 . By combining this reach with the physical infrastructure of centers like LUPPP2 or Norway's Food Pilot Plant8 , a new ecosystem for food engineering education is being born.
The role of ODL in sharing pilot plant resources is fundamentally about democratizing education. It ensures that the next great food innovation is just as likely to come from a student in a small town with a good internet connection as from one at a centuries-old, well-endowed university.
By breaking down the physical walls of the pilot plant, we are not devaluing hands-on experience, but rather redefining it for a connected age. This collaborative approach equips a new generation of food engineers with a broader skillset and a more international perspective, which is our best hope for building a food system that is sustainable, resilient, and capable of feeding the world.
Learners engaged through EIT Food
More resource access for students
European universities collaborating
Increase in cross-border projects