Food is a major preoccupation for society today

The Fribourg School of Management launched its Food Ecosystem Institute in the Fall of 2018. What is its mission?

Our short-term aim is to become a center of expertise and innovation in food management and entrepreneurship. Our activities are wide-ranging. For example, students in our specialized Consulting and Business Development program will have the chance to work with companies in the food sector. As a think tank, we offer companies in the food business research that is tailored to their specific knowledge needs. The Food Ecosystem Institute also will help to build successful research and innovation partnerships between academia and industry.

How did this project come about?

Food is a major preoccupation for society today. The entire food chain has been a political priority in the canton of Fribourg for several years already. This led the directors of HEG-FR to decide, rightly, to add this subject to its research and teaching programs by establishing an ad hoc institute. We hope to be able to fund ourselves through the income generated by providing services to companies.

You have had a long career in the hospitality and catering industry, which notably included the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne. What is it specifically about this new Fribourg project that motivates you?

I find it particularly remarkable that almost every link in the food chain is represented in the canton of Fribourg: farming, processing, catering and retail. For HEG-FR students, the Institute will open many doors to a career in the food business, whether here in Fribourg, in Switzerland or abroad.

This article was originally published in Fribourg Network 2019 https://2019.fribourgnetwork.ch/en/