World Food System Summer School: "Design Ideas for Sustainable Food Systems"

Feeding a growing global population while promoting human health, protecting the environment, and ensuring social wellbeing is one of today’s most pressing challenges. Addressing sustainability in food systems requires the ability to understand and navigate their inherent complexity.

Throughout the course, participants will explore food system challenges by examining subsystems, scales, and levels, while considering ecological, economic, social, political, and cultural dynamics. They will develop competencies in systems thinking, complexity navigation, and sustainability mapping, and apply these to real-world projects in collaboration with stakeholders.

Based on real case studies linked to current food system challenges, students will build knowledge, skills, and motivation to propose transformative ideas. Working in interdisciplinary teams, participants will develop solutions guided by design thinking. The project-based learning environment at PBLabs integrates lectures, group work, case studies, workshops, excursions, and social activities.

Participants will also receive training in engaging communication formats, learning how to pitch their ideas using effective visual and auditory storytelling.

Partners and Contributors: The course brings together experts and practitioners from academia, industry, policy, development cooperation, and civil society organizations.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Identify and explain the key elements of food systems, their interconnections, drivers of change, major challenges, and desired outcomes of sustainable food system transformation.

2. Analyze and evaluate current food system challenges using systems thinking and food system mapping approaches that integrate multiple stakeholder perspectives, consider trade-offs and feedback loops, and anticipate unintended consequences.

3. Apply interdisciplinary, and where possible, transdisciplinary and cross-sectoral approach-es to a real-world case study, using design thinking to develop innovative interventions.

4. Create and pitch a science communication piece that uses compelling visual and auditory storytelling techniques to communicate the proposed intervention clearly, creatively, and accessibly to relevant stakeholders.

Applicants must be currently enrolled in a higher education program (minimum 3rd-year Bachelor, Master’s, or PhD) or have recently graduated from one of these programs.

Diversity is a core component of the program. If the number of applications exceeds the available 40–50 spots, selection will be based on eligibility as well as the goal of forming a diverse cohort in terms of disciplinary backgrounds, gender, nationality, culture, and life experiences.

Successful applicants will demonstrate:

• A strong interest in food system challenges and solutions
• Motivation for interdisciplinary and cross-​sector collaboration
• Openness to working with peers from diverse academic and personal backgrounds
• Relevant academic or practical experience

The course is taught in English, and we welcome participants from all disciplines.

Join the World Food System Summer School and become part of a community of motivated, like-minded students, researchers, and practitioners across the food valu echain. Together, you will design ideas to support sustainable food systems in a time of rapid change.

The Summer School takes place at PBlabs, a creative learning space in Zurich that enables project-based education and experimentation. Participants are immersed in the world of food systems, where they engage with real-world challenges through a mix of case studies, field visits, creative workshops, and design-thinking sessions. The program’s integrated approach, including guest speakers and reflective practice, is designed to develop the competencies required to drive meaningful change.

During this Summer School, you will:

• Explore challenges, opportunities, and innovations in food systems across disciplines, sectors, and scales.
• Collaborate with producers, leading research institutes, industry partners, policy makers, and civil society actors.
• Learn how to apply a food systems perspective that accounts for environmental, social, political, and economic dimensions.
• Co-create solutions in diverse, interdisciplinary teams, working on case studies and applying creativity and design thinking methodologies to address contemporary food system challenges.
• Communicate your ideas through visual and auditory storytelling techniques to effectively pitch your solutions and contribute to change.

The two-level mutual trust-based quality assurance scheme has been adopted:

·       at the university level: ETH Zurich has applied its internal quality assurance procedures and structures to the proposal of Sustainable Food System Summer School it submitted to ENHANCE and to its implementation - the related learning activities,

·       at the Alliance level: the body composed of Education Officers has made decisions regarding the inclusion of Sustainable Food System Summer School proposed by ETH Zurich to the Innovative Learning Campus part of the joint ENHANCE educational offer, based on the compliance with the formal requirements and ENHANCE goals.

The course is assessed as an ungraded semester performance. Assessment components include: - A pre-assignment related to the case studies - A self-reflection journal on transferable competencies - A creative team pitch of the developed solution - A written report

Details will be provided upon acceptance.

The application period for the WFSC Summer School 2026 is now open. A complete application must be submitted via the link below by 25 January 2026 and includes:

• CV (PDF)
• Short video (max. 2 minutes) introducing yourself, your studies, and your motivation to participate

You can access the application form here: Application for ETH Zurich WFSC Summer School "Design Ideas for Sustainable Food Systems" – Fill in form

The application process is competitive, and only complete applications will be considered.

ETH Zurich, Switzerland, with excursions

The course is free of charge. Local travel and all program-related activities are organized and covered by the course team.

Participants are responsible for arranging and covering their accommodation, travel to and from Zurich and PBLabs, and meals throughout the program. A scholarship from ETH Zurich can be provided for selected ENHANCE students CHF80 per day. If you travel sustainable (by train or bus) an additional CHF100 will be added (tickets as proof needed).