GFI Alt-Protein Project Workshop | From Campus to Company: Building Strategic Partnerships for Tomorrow’s Talent

In today’s fast-moving food and protein industries, attracting and developing top talent is more important than ever. But how can academic institutions and companies create partnerships that are not just well-meaning, but genuinely effective?

This hands-on workshop explores a successful long-term collaboration between Wageningen APP and Kalsec, offering a real-world case study of how student-industry partnerships can be designed to benefit both parties. You’ll hear directly from a student leader and a Kalsec team member involved in shaping and sustaining the relationship, and uncover the key terms, shared goals, and practical structures that made it work.

What you’ll gain:

✅ A needs and cost assessment template to evaluate partnership value

✅ Insights into aligning institutional offerings with industry needs

✅ Strategies to connect with nontraditional talent pools

✅ Tools to distinguish between symbolic and strategic partnerships

✅ A framework for pitching your own student-engagement initiative

Following the presentation, participants will break into working groups to map their own talent development opportunities, identifying needs, assets, and ideal partnership structures to take back to their institution or organization.