Will students find out how to grow insects and plants in a closed system?

Wageningen
University
&
Research
is
organizing
the
ReThink
Food
Challenge
in
2025.
The
aim
of
this
competition
is
to
develop
an
innovative
business
concept
to
grow
food
on
Earth
based
on
lessons
learned
from
growing
food
in
space.
The
WUR
Student
Challenges
team
focuses
on
organizing
competitions
for
students
in
the
field
of
life
sciences.
Marta
Eggers
of
WUR
Student
Challenges:
“Seven
years
ago,
we
started
organizing
Challenges
for
life
sciences
students.
Our
team
has
now
organized
more
than
20
different
Challenges.
The
Challenges
are
very
international
and
reach
many
students
all
over
the
world.”

ReThink
Food
Challenge

The
Challenges
deal
with
different
topics
such
as
the
protein
transition,
urban
food
production,
bio-based
economy,
and
food
system
innovation.
The
organization
found
space
farming
a
great
angle
for
the
ReThink
Food
Challenge.
It
also
has
many
applications
on
Earth.
When
going
to
space,
one
has
to
think
carefully
about
resources
and
about
circularity.
In
doing
so,
it
is
important
to
adequately
handle
waste.
Marta:
“We
also
want
to
do
this
on
Earth.
We
want
to
produce
more
sustainably.
This
challenge
encourages
people
to
think
out
of
the
box.”

Learning
journey
The
Challenge
lasts
four
months,
and
is
all
about
developing
innovative
ideas
into
elaborate
business
concepts.
With
this
Challenge,
the
WUR
aims
to
connect
people
that
are
interested
in
this
topic.
Marta:
“We
want
to
create
awareness
and
enthusiasm.
It
is
not
only
about
the
end
result,
but
also
about
the
road
towards
it.”
The
Challenge
is
meant
to
be
a
‘learning
journey’
where
students
can
gain
new
skills
such
as
entrepreneurial
mindset,
interdisciplinary
teamwork,
project
management,
networking,
leadership
and
problem-solving.

Students
networking
during
the
ReThink
Wast
Challenge

Students
can
work
on
any
idea
that
fits
within
the
theme
of
the
Challenge.
By
the
end
of
the
Challenge,
the
idea
should
be
applicable
in
a
business
setting.
At
the
end
of
the
process,
12
finalists
will
compete
for
the
grand
prize
of
7,000
euros.
Often
the
teams
use
the
money
to
continue
their
idea
after
the
challenge.
There
have
also
been
teams
that
have
used
the
money
for
personal
purposes.
To
students
who
are
still
unsure
whether
to
join,
Marta
has
this
advice:
“Don’t
hesitate,
just
do
it.
If
you
don’t
try,
you
won’t
find
out
if
you
can
succeed.
It’s
not
only
about
the
end
result,
but
also
about
the
road
towards
it.”

The
winners
of
the
previous
challenge

Indoor
farming
track-inspiration
This
Challenge
has
two
different
tracks:
indoor
farming
and
alternative
proteins.
The
indoor
farming
track
allows
students
to
work
on
the
innovation
of
cultivation
techniques.
For
instance,
innovation
in
growing
techniques
(new
cultivation
methods,
innovations
related
to
vertical
farming,
hydroponics
and
aeroculture),
the
sustainable
use
of
resources
(technologies
and
methods
for
the
efficient
use
of
water
and
fertilizers),
crop
resistance
and
robustness
(plants
with
higher
yields
and
resilience
to
climate
change),
innovation
in
autonomous
cropping
systems
or
biodiversity,
and
genetic
improvement
(new
crop
varieties
better
adapted
to
different
environmental
conditions
on
earth).

Marta:
“We
hope
to
inspire
the
sector
with
this
challenge.
For
example,
with
the
answer
to
the
question:
how
to
grow
insects
and
plants
in
one
closed
system?
It
often
happens
that
new
techniques
are
discovered
in
space,
and
that
are
later
applied
on
Earth
(think
of
solar
panels).
During
the
Challenge,
many
students
and
professionals
come
together
and
discuss
new
ideas,
challenges
and
opportunities.
The
students
are
future
professionals.
It
is
a
good
opportunity
to
meet
and
educate
the
changemakers
of
the
future.”

The
Jury
during
one
of
the
previous
editions.

Collaboration
with
business
partners
The
Challenge
consists
of
three
rounds.
In
the
first
round,
students
have
to
come
up
with
a
good
idea
in
cooperation
with
the
participating
companies.
In
the
second
round,
the
idea
is
developed
and
validated
in
collaboration
with
the
partners.
In
the
third
round,
students
learn
to
sell
their
idea.
Among
others,
Bayer,
GEA
and
GreenTech
are
partners
of
this
Challenge.

The
Challenge
starts
on
17
January
with
a
kick-off
event.
During
this
event,
ESA
(European
Space
Agency)
engineer
Christel
Paille
will
present
the
MELiSSA
program.
The
aim
of
this
program
is
to
recycle
products
such
as
carbon
dioxide,
urine,
and
other
organic
substances
into
vital
resources
such
as
oxygen,
water,
and
food.
In
the
first
round,
students
have
a
month
and
a
half
to
work
on
the
report.
May
27
is
the
selection
moment.

Companies
interested
in
participating
in
the
Challenge
can
still
contact
Rio
Pals
([email protected]).
It
is
a
good
opportunity
to
recruit
new
talent.
Meanwhile,
more
than
30
universities
worldwide
that
offer
top
courses
for
future
controlled
environment
agriculture
specialists
have
expressed
interest
in
this
Challenge.
Companies
can
also
learn
from
the
Challenge.