RIS Inspire - HealthySoil4Life

Training in entrepreneurship and innovation in Soil Health and Food

Applications: Open until the 15th June 2025

Audience: Only participants from RIS countries can apply

Dates

- 30th June to 11th July (on-line)

- 28th July to 1st August 2025 (in-person week in Penha Garcia, Portugal, on invitation only)

Price

€61.5 for the full course (Including VAT). Waivers may apply.

The price includes an online course plus access to the in-person week in Portugal. In-person week covers attendance, accommodation and meals on-site except travelling costs to the venue. ECTS apply. Please contact the program manager for more details

About : Provide knowledge and a strong entrepreneurship background

Over a period of 3 weeks, the programme provides you a dynamic and supportive environment for you to develop your knowledge on soil health, soil microbiology, eco-friendly farming practices towards sustainable and climate farming agriculture while contributing to business creation on food wealth.

Advantages :

The training on sustainable and microbiome farming can make a difference for current and future generations that will now have a reference to follow towards more sustainable approaches due to this capacitation.
The creation of new businesses will contribute to the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, namely SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG10 (Reduced inequalities) and SDG12 (Responsible consumption and production).
You’ll be equipped with the skills to prosper your career and/or business, contributing to the employment of qualified professionals and fostering innovation in the primary sector.

What You’ll Gain? : A Course Tailored to Your Goals

For University Students & Early-Career Researchers

Gain hands-on expertise in soil health, microbiology, and sustainable farming.

Enhance your academic profile with real-world applications.

Earn ECTS credits (eligibility required).

Connect with industry experts and research institutions.

For Seasoned Researchers and Aspiring or Early-Stage Entrepreneurs

Learn how to develop agrifood startups from idea to execution.

Gain mentorship from business leaders in sustainable food systems.

Get tools for business model development & investment pitching.

Compete in the Inspire Impact Competition (up to €4,000 in prizes).

For Professionals & Career-Changers in Agrifood

Master eco-friendly farming techniques and bio-based solutions.

Boost career opportunities in startups, SMEs, and global agrifood companies.

Gain skills to drive sustainability and innovation in your organization.

Network with industry leaders and like-minded professionals.

Career Opportunities : This programme is for you!

Training in entrepreneurship on soil health and sustainable practices for the agrifood sector you can create career opportunities as a university student, early career researcher or young entrepreneur:

By complementing your plan of studies in agronomy, biology, and related fields.
Through the creation of start-ups based on the ideas developed during the summer school programme.
By bringing your own agrifood businesses ideas to launch or scale
By boosting your chances of being employed by agrifood businesses or organizations.
By increasing you network with like-minded individuals.

FEEDBACK FROM OUR PARTICIPANTS

100% Overall course experience

Was described as Excellent or Good

89% Field visits expectations

Were exceeded for most participants

89% Would highly recommend

This course to a colleague or a friend

“We are here at Vale Feitoso in Penha Garcia. I am very happy to be part of this summer school that EIT Food has made possible. It’s a great experience to learn about new areas. And I hope to get to live this experience again, because it’s simply amazing”

Valentina Masso - Alumna from Italy
“I found it incredibly insightful and it definitely offered some unique perspectives”

Quincy Smith, Alumna from the USA
“Participating in this Summer School was an eye-opening experience. What I enjoyed most was the opportunity to explore real case studies and successful innovations in the food system. These practical insights helped bridge the gap between theory and application, making sustainability feel more tangible and achievable. I highly recommend this course to anyone passionate about sustainable agriculture and innovation. It provides not just knowledge but also the mindset and tools to drive real change in the food system.”

Tilde Scaly, Alumna from Italy
“I got used to listening to you all every day, so it will be sad that it’s over!”

Enise Sukusu, Alumna from Turkey
“This Summer School was a truly comprehensive educational experience, also providing a valuable opportunity to connect with professionals in the field, who are available to clarify any doubts and concerns through interactive, heuristic-Socratic discussions. Another key aspect is the chance to present one’s own entrepreneurial project, fostering managerial skills applied to the field of agricultural microbiology.”

Giampiero Federici, Alumna from Italy

What you'll learn : Taught by academics and food industry experts

Food systems

Analyse the food system using a range of systems approaches to appraise current and future sustainability challenges.

Implement innovative responses to address sustainability challenges in the food system.

Entrepreneurship

Create opportunities for social and environmental value creation.

Mobilise resources to create sustainable value for others.

Design and implement effective actions to deliver impact.

Problem solving

Analyse relevant aspects of the problem space to inform creative thought.

Use basic methods to generate new ideas and to assess their validity.

Contribute to co-creation processes to develop sustainable solutions.

Critical thinking

Collect, analyse, interpret and report information to develop sustainable solutions to current and future challenges

Appraise unintended consequences of any course of action to devise ethical goals.

Leadership

Appraise different strategies to deliver a food system innovation.

Demonstrate leadership towards the implementation of a food system innovation.

Communication

Devise effective communication methods that support organisational strategies.

Engage in honest and inclusive two-way communication with stakeholders about their concerns.

Adjust messaging for different audiences.

Technology management

Competently use appropriate technologies to contribute to food system innovations.

Appraise the relevance of emerging technologies in a particular work or study context.

Identify key unintended consequences of the use of emerging technologies.

Recognise the importance of IPR management.

Data management

Appraise the efficacy of different digital tools and sensing methods to acquire, manage and manipulate data.

Devise effective data management protocols.

Design effective actions to mitigate key unintended consequences of the use of information technologies.

Implement adequate data security measures.

Learn more about our competency framework

Structure & Modules : Online sessions

2 weeks of rich online lectures online with a combination of asynchronous and learning resources and live (synchronous) interactive virtual sessions integrating food production innovation and entrepreneurial sessions, discussions, and group work.

Module 1: What is soil health?
Introduction to the challenges in soil health, sustainable agriculture and bio-based fertilizers.

Importance of Soil Health in food production and main challenges
Why is soil a dynamic entity?
Soil formation, functions and threats – the Physical & Chemical properties
The role of microbes in nutrient cycling, plant growth and food production: Mycorrhizal – Unlocking the secret ingredient?
NextGen of bio-based enhancers:
A) PGPB (plant growth promoting bacteria) – From soil health to crop yield: the potential application of biofertilizers.
B) Biocontrol. What is it and how it can be used?

Module 2: The Soil, how to look after it?

Sustainable soil practices: Farming smarter, not harder: reducing inputs and boosting the farm’s bottom line

Module 3: Tools to assess soil health
The state of the art for soil health assessment.

Soil health assessment: quantitative tools. Conventional and Next generation Sequencing (NGS) and enzymatic analyses
Soil health assessment: hands on. Microbes know no boundaries: case studies of microbiome diversity across regions

Entrepreneurial learning will be transversal to all school modules. Please see the full agenda for more detailed information.

Case studies will be provided by national food companies with high market sharing, giving the opportunity to develop ideas to solve real challenges and accelerate their implementation. In collaboration with:

Paladin
Real Idanha
BGI - Sustainable Ventures

Onsite week : 28th July –1st August (By invitation only)

Eco-Week in the village of Penha Garcia (Portugal) in the GeoPark awarded by UNESCO!

Opportunity for networking and fostering the exchange of ideas and diverse experiences, potentially leading to future collaborations. All this while enjoying the natural landscapes and visiting inspiring farms and fields that showcase sustainable management practices: the worldwide famous BOOM Festival, Real Idanha, and Herdade de Vale Feitoso.

Subjects: Microbiome; Biocontrol; Biofertilizers; Mycorrhizae; Soil Health & Nutrition; Applied Cases; Develop your business

Price €61.5 for the full course (Including VAT). Waivers may apply.

Please note, course fees will be waived for 20 individuals with care responsibilities; persons on parental leave; and people living in rural areas. These will be given out on a first-come first-served basis. Get in touch with the team via email (Soraia.silva@food4sustainability.org) to apply for an EIT-Food funded place, providing your contact details and reasoning.

The program is fully accredited by EIT Food Education label.

The school ends with a final test. Successful participants will be granted a Certificate of Completion.

Additionally, right after the school ends participants will have the opportunity to join the Inspire Impact competition, continue their learning, earn an additional certificate and compete for cash prizes (up to €4000).

The Inspire Impact course is free of charge for candidates who have satisfactorily completed any Inspire School.

More information about this competition will be shared soon!

About the Inspire Programme 2025

Available all year long

Inspire Explore
Oct-Nov 2025

Inspire. Explore. Compete
12-29 May

RIS Inspire - SAFER (Student Entrepreneurship for an Agri-Food Ecosystem Recovery)
9-27 June 2025

RIS Inspire - Deep Tech in Regenerative Agriculture
30 June - 1 August

RIS Inspire - HealthySoil4Life
8 September - 3 October

Inspire - Circular Agrifood
15 September - 3 October

RIS Inspire - Sustainable Food Production and Consumption
13 October - 11 November

Inspire - Restorative Aquaculture
29 October - 1 December

Inspire - Digital Technologies in the Food System
12 May - December

Inspire Impact