On September 10 and 11, 2026, theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma hosted the Food Design & AI Challenge, an intensive experience promoted by the Master's Degree Course in Food Science and Technology and Food Design to introduce students, undergraduates, and graduates to the new challenges of the food sector.
They were 33 participants involved in a journey that brought together scientific skills, design, innovation, and Artificial Intelligence, through a format based on learning and experimentation.
The Challenge developed in two closely linked moments: a first phase dedicated to the training through workshops and a second phase of project work, teamwork, and mentoringThe workshops provided participants with tools, approaches, and stimuli to apply directly to the design phase. Divided into teams and accompanied by tutors and mentors, participants worked on developing their own proposals, transforming what they learned into a concrete concept.
The transition from knowledge to application was one of the initiative's distinctive features: not only understanding the possibilities offered by Artificial Intelligence and Food Design, but also concretely experimenting with their use within a collaborative design process.
They were 7 teams who took up the challenge, developing and presenting to the Commission projects capable of combining originality, completeness, and creativity, through the integration of different skills and points of view. The winner of first place was BIBIT-ONE – "Create your own drink", a smart on-demand dispenser designed to create personalized drinks by combining taste, functionality and qualityThe project stood out for its ability to concretely integrate Food Design, Food Technologies, and Artificial Intelligence, translating the multidisciplinary approach at the heart of the Challenge into a project proposal.
Beyond the competition, the two days represented an opportunity to experimentation, comparison and contamination of skills, showing participants the multiple possibilities of applying innovation and new technologies to the agri-food sector. The Challenge also highlighted a fundamental principle: to effectively use and manage tools such as Artificial Intelligence, it is necessary to start from a solid technical-scientific knowledge of the sector.
It is precisely from the integration of scientific expertise, Food Design, and new technologies that innovative and concretely applicable solutions can emerge in the agri-food world. In this sense, the Food Design & AI Challenge has translated the training approach of the Master's Degree Course in Food Science and Technology and Food Design: acquire skills, integrate them, and apply them to design and innovate the food sector.
