NPD Skills Training - Sensory Evaluation & AI

Level: Explore for students, young entrepreneurs, PhD students with citizenship of one of RIS countries

Application: Register now for the new course within NPD Skills Training Programme - Sensory Evaluation &, open until 31/12/2025.

Price: Free of charge

Course soon available

Overview: NPD Skills Training - Sensory Evaluation & AI

About
Who can attend
Practical

Course soon available

About : Short, self-paced online course

Sensory Evaluation & AI is a short, self-paced online course that introduces you to the foundations of sensory science and its essential role in food product design. In just up to 4 hours, you’ll learn how consumers experience food through the senses, how sensory tests are structured, and how companies use sensory insights to shape successful products.

This course focuses primarily on classical sensory evaluation, complemented by a light introduction to how emerging digital tools, including basic AI-supported approaches, can enrich consumer understanding and support early innovation decisions.

Designed specifically for the food sector, the course is ideal for students, young professionals, PhD candidates, and anyone eager to understand how sensory science informs product development.

Advantages :

During this course you’ll understand how food is experienced, measured, compared, and optimised, using methods trusted across the food industry.

You will:

Learn: How sensory evaluation works, why it is considered the gold standard for product testing, and how each sense shapes how we perceive food.
Practice: Explore how sensory tests are designed, how results are interpreted, and how insights guide decisions in new product development, reformulation, and quality management.
Apply: Discover how sensory data supports evidence-based product design and how simple digital tools, including introductory AI-supported methods, can complement traditional sensory approaches.
Grow: Build confidence in understanding consumer perception, enabling you to contribute effectively to innovation projects within the food industry.

Take your food innovation skills to the next level – learn, apply, and make an impact in the food industry!

Details & Structure :

Estimated learning time: up to 4 hours
Level: Explore
Format: Online, self-paced (Canvas)
Language: English
Eligibility: Exclusively for EIT Food RIS participants

Key Topics:

You will explore the core elements of sensory science and how it connects to product design:

Foundations of sensory evaluation and its role in consumer research.
The biology of perception: taste, aroma, texture, appearance, sound.
How to design sensory tests and interpret results effectively.
Applying sensory insights in new product development and reformulation.
Sensory methods in quality monitoring and everyday industry practice.
Introduction to synthetic data and AI-supported tools as complements to classical sensory work.

Combining sensory knowledge with early digital insights for better product decisions

By the end of the course learners will be able to:

What sensory evaluation is and why it is considered the classical pathway for product testing
How the five senses and their receptors shape food perception
The key components of a sensory test design and how to interpret the results
Sensory evaluation's role in new product development, reformulation, quality monitoring, and marketing
About synthetic consumers and synthetic data, and how they are transforming product development
AI tools (agents, RAG, fine-tuning) that are being used to generate consumer insights
How to combine classical sensory evaluation and AI to support evidence-based innovation

Who can attend : This course is designed for learners who want to strengthen their skills and knowledge within the food sector, including:

Students in food-related programmes
Young professionals entering or working in the food industry
PhD candidates focused on food innovation, sensory science, consumer behaviour, or product design
Anyone eager to develop their skills and grow professionally within the food sector

Participants must:

have a good working knowledge of English, as the course is delivered entirely in English.
Be a citizen of one of the RIS countries, including:
● EU Member States: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain.
● Horizon Europe Associated Countries: Montenegro, Republic of North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel
● Outermost Regions: Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion, Martinique, Mayotte and Saint-Martin (France), the Azores and Madeira (Portugal), and the Canary Islands (Spain).

Practical : Self-paced course

Fully online
Start anytime
Open until 31/12/2025
Self-paced completion
Learning materials include videos, summaries, readings, presentations, and practical tasks
Free of charge