In November 2025, Wageningen University & Research welcomed Ivana Knežević from the University of Novi Sad for a month-long mobility stay, carried out within the EU-funded EINSTEIN project under the European Excellence Initiative for Widening countries.
From 2 to 30 November, the visit became a meaningful learning experience that extended well beyond mobility itself. It was an opportunity to spend time inside one of Europe’s leading universities for food, agriculture, and nutrition sciences and to learn how excellence works in practice: in laboratories, in offices, on campus, and in everyday academic life.
For someone engaged in project management, dissemination, and communication within EU-funded projects, observing how ideas are structured, discussed, and shared across different institutional levels provided particularly valuable, practice-oriented insight. The logic of the visit was simple but ambitious: to learn directly from European partners with long-standing experience in building strong, sustainable, and internationally visible institutions, and to reflect on how those practices can inspire the future development of the University of Novi Sad and the wider region.
Learning by Following the Nutrifood Journey
A significant part of the stay was spent gaining insight into how nutrifood ideas are shaped, step by step. Materials from Serbia’s rich genetic resources, identified through the EINSTEIN Agro platform, served as concrete examples, helping to connect regional biodiversity with advanced nutrifood development methods.
Rather than focusing on research results, the emphasis was on understanding processes: how genetic resources are recognized for their potential, how nutritional value is boosted, and how early-stage formulations begin to take form.
Seeing how increased protein content, dietary fiber, or improved amino acid profiles are approached in practice offered valuable perspective on innovation pathways that connect agriculture, nutrition, and product development.
These experiences provided a clearer picture of how ideas move forward – knowledge that is especially relevant for project coordination, innovation planning, and long-term institutional development.
Beyond the Lab: Listening to the User
A nutrifood product tasting event at Wageningen University & Research opened the door to understanding how food concepts are evaluated from the user’s perspective. Participants sampled several nutrifood-grade formulations and shared straightforward impressions, considering taste, texture, aroma, and overall acceptability alongside nutritional quality. Seeing how this feedback was collected and discussed showed how early user perspectives are taken into account in the innovation process. The experience highlighted that food innovation relies not only on technical expertise, but also on listening carefully to those who will ultimately use the products.
Sustainability Seen in Everyday Practice
Throughout the stay, it became clear that environmental responsibility and wellbeing are simply part of everyday life at the university. Recycling, sustainable campus practices, and activities that encourage movement are not presented as special programs, but as normal parts of the working day. Even small details, like the weekly fruit baskets with a handwritten “Take your fruit” note, showed how care for people and the environment fits naturally into daily routines.
