Maria Zaleska
Poznań, Poland

‘Sharing knowledge is vital’

“Food has always fascinated me. That’s why I decided to apply for the Food Valley Ambassadors Program at Wageningen University. I followed the Food Safety Master Program, which also included an one year internship at PURAC Biochem in Gorinchem. I graduated on food toxicology. Right now I’m back in Poland to complete my master thesis on food microbiology for the University of Economics in Poznań.

Wealth of knowledge
The traineeship in particular has proven to be very useful to me. I discovered that there’s a wealth of knowledge in the Wageningen region, both at the university and in the food industry. Especially within the field of food safety, which has my personal interest, there are numerous challenges for innovation in the production of safe, high quality and nutritious food.

Working together
Since Poland entered the European Union in 2004, small and medium sized companies have got increasingly interested in working together, at home and abroad.  You see, one of the problems in Poland is the lack of cooperation between university and industry. Fundamental research doesn’t always yield practical solutions for food-related business. Moreover, there aren’t many public funds for innovation, which limits scientific progress.

Eye opener
The introduction of the Food Valley concept was a real eye opener. It showed companies and academic institutions how to convert knowledge into economic value. This has, for example, resulted in a business trip to a Polish dairy cluster which offers future business opportunities for Dutch companies like NIZO.

Proud
My master program and internship in the Netherlands have given me much more insight into the meaning of innovation for the food sector. Clearly, there are numerous opportunities for cooperation between food industries in both countries. Through the Food Valley Ambassador Network, I can help establish connections between the food industries in the Netherlands and Poland. Sharing knowledge is vital. I’m really proud to help achieving this goal.”