15 July 2026
A part-time program designed for professionals, managers, and entrepreneurs who want to lead the transformation of the food system through sustainability, technology, strategy, and innovation.
The agri-food sector is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. Evolving consumer habits, the impact of new technologies, growing attention to sustainability, and the need to develop increasingly competitive business models are reshaping the way food products and services are designed, produced, and brought to market.
To address these challenges, Future for Food: Innovation & Business Strategies has been created, a new part-time master's program developed by Talent Garden in collaboration with the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo (UNISG). The program combines managerial expertise, gastronomic culture, technological innovation, and strategic vision to prepare the professionals who will lead the future of the sector.
The master's program will begin on October 10, 2026, and conclude on December 12, 2026. It follows a blended format designed for working professionals, with live online evening classes held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., complemented by two in-person sessions at the Talent Garden campus in Turin and the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo.
A program to turn innovation into value
Future for Food: Innovation & Business Strategies is designed for Product Managers, Innovation Managers, Research & Development managers, entrepreneurs, founders, and Food & Beverage professionals who want to develop a broader understanding of food systems and gain practical tools to transform innovative ideas into sustainable and profitable projects.
The program aims to prepare professionals capable of interpreting market changes, anticipating emerging trends, and designing growth strategies by integrating sustainability, digitalization, food tech, and business development.
Throughout the program, participants will develop the skills to analyze emerging consumption models, create innovative products and services, leverage emerging technologies as a competitive advantage, build distinctive brands, design go-to-market strategies, and assess the economic sustainability of projects through business development and finance tools.
Six sessions to understand the future of food
The program is structured into six sessions, guiding participants through every stage of innovation in the agri-food sector.
The journey begins on October 10 with Food Systems: Trends, Challenges and Consumer Models, dedicated to analyzing the evolution of the food system, changing consumer behavior, and market transformations.
This is followed by Business Development & Product Strategy, focused on designing growth strategies and developing new products, and Food Tech & AI Impact, which explores the role of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence in driving innovation across processes and offerings.
The fourth session, Principles of Sustainability, examines sustainable design and environmental impact reduction, demonstrating how sustainability can become a genuine competitive advantage.
With Brand Storytelling, participants learn how to build strong brand identities and effective positioning strategies, while Finance & Operations provides the tools to evaluate investments, KPIs, performance, and the financial sustainability of projects.
The program concludes on December 12 with the Demo Day, during which participants present the project work developed throughout the master's program, along with a session dedicated to Gastronomic Journeys and the Anthropology of Food, offering broader insight into the cultural and social dimensions of food.
Learning by doing
One of the defining features of the master's program is its highly practical approach.
Each participant will work on a project based on a real business brief provided by a partner company, collaborating with faculty members and industry professionals who work in the sector every day. The program combines theoretical lessons, practical exercises, group work, and project-based activities, fostering learning that can be immediately applied in the workplace.
The excellence of the University of Gastronomic Sciences meets the innovation ecosystem
The master's program is academically coordinated by the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo, founded by Slow Food and internationally recognized as the world's first university entirely dedicated to Gastronomic Sciences. Thanks to its multidisciplinary approach, UNISG brings advanced expertise in food systems, the anthropology of food, sustainability, and gastronomic culture, providing participants with a comprehensive understanding of the challenges shaping today's food industry.
This expertise is complemented by that of Talent Garden, Europe's largest platform dedicated to digital skills education and innovation. Present in seven countries, with a community of thousands of professionals, a faculty of experts from the business world, and more than 180 partner companies, Talent Garden develops educational programs designed to meet the real needs of the market by fostering collaboration among companies, innovators, and professionals.
The collaboration between Talent Garden and UNISG has created a unique program that integrates scientific, technological, managerial, and entrepreneurial expertise to prepare the professionals who will lead the transformation of the agri-food sector.
Find out more about the program, faculty, and participation details here
