ABIONET - NEWSLETTER 1 - JULY 2020

The ABIONET project

ABioNet (Armenian Network of Excellence in Bio-Products Science and Technology) is an ERASMUS+ Key Action 2 Project, funded by the European Union. The project was launched on February 2018 in Thessaloniki, Greece. The project coordinator is the International Hellenic University (IHU) and the duration of the project is 48 months (October 2017 – October 2021).

The main objective of ABioNet project is to fill the gaps and strengthen the links between education, entrepreneurship and innovation, which is based on strategic priorities of developing the country’s education, science and agriculture.

One of the key components of the Project is developing and piloting a joint Master programme with interdisciplinary modules targeted at professional capacity building.

Another component of the Project is setting up a Network of Excellence, as well as ensuring the mobility of students and staff between Armenian HEIs and EU partner universities.

Finally, equipping the research laboratories with basic and advanced equipment, the short-term and long-term training courses (for both students and staff) envisaged in the frame of the Project will contribute to modernizing and improving the knowledge and skills of students in the field of food and bio products.

The expected outcomes of the ABIONET Project are:

  • Needs assessment of Armenian universities from the perspective of teaching resources, including curricula content and structure
  • Developing or setting up Master Programs in the field of agri and bio products science and technology, based on the narrow specialization of each respective university, following the best practices of EU universities
  • Establishing multidisciplinary network and promoting effective collaboration between local and European universities engaging university departments, laboratories, enterprises
  • Ensuring student and staff mobility
  • Developing start-ups through the joint efforts of Armenian and EU partners
  • Modernizing the research labs with basic and advanced equipment and facilities tailored to the needs of the Master Program, based on needs assessment
  • Developing joint Master Program module between Armenian and EU universities.

More info on the project’s activities at: ABIONET Website

New Masters Programmes - Fall Semester 2020

MSc Program "M. NALBANDYAN STATE UNIVERSITY OF SHIRAK" Foundation (SUSh)


SPECIALTY FOOD TECHNOLOGY - 072101.00.7
MASTER DEGREE PROGRAM: BIOTECHNOLOGY - 072101.08.7
QUALIFICATION: MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY
PROGRAM DURATION: 2 YEARS
CREDITS: 120 ECTS

SHSu 1

The “Biotechnology” master's educational program has been developed and introduced at Shirak State University within the framework of Erasmus+ “Armenian Network of Excellence in Bio-Products Science and Technology”-ABioNet international cooperation program, the curriculum of which and the Armenian and English versions of the courses can be found on SUSh website with the following links:

  • ABIONET@SHSu
  • Curriculum (in Armenian)
  • Programme (in Armenian)
  • Curriculum (in English)
  • Programme (in English)
  • The first admission to this specialty will take place in the 2020-2021 academic year. The introduction of the specialty is mainly conditioned by the requirements of the labor market of Shirak region, the results of the study conducted among the internal and external beneficiaries, as well as by the existence of a professional and material-technical base and cooperation network formed during the works available at SUSh and implemented by ABioNet program.

    Both the introduction of the specialty and the laboratory of biotechnology established at SUSh and equipped with modern equipment within the framework of ABioNet program will also give the possibility to establish a center for entrepreneurship at the University, combining the education and production. Both compulsory and optional professional courses are included in the curriculum of the master's program.

    SHSu 2

    The Program has 21 modules of which 14 are compulsory, 7 optional, Research (Master Thesis Preparation), Scientific research practice, Preparation and defense of the thesis.

    The compulsory modules are:

    • Foreign language in professional sphere
    • Research methodology
    • SPSS Statistics
    • Communication Skills for Professionals
    • Start-up
    • Management and marketing in professional sphere
    • Food microbiology
    • Enzymology
    • Food biotechnology
    • Food and eco toxicology
    • Biosafety and environmental risk
    • Food biochemistry
    • Bioengineering
    • Pharmacognosy
    The optional modules (in the 2nd and 3rd semesters students should select 1 of the provided optional modules) are:
    • Plant Biodiversity and bioproducts
    • Probiotic Food Technology
    • Microbial biotechnology
    • Plant Biotechnology
    • Herbal medicinal preparations technology
    • Vegetable raw material bioconversion technology
    • Technology of biologically active additives from vegetable raw materials

    MSc Program "ARMENIAN NATIONAL AGRARIAN UNIVERISTY" (ANAU)


    SPECIALTY FOOD TECHNOLOGY - 072101.00.7
    MASTER DEGREE PROGRAM: : FOOD SAFETY - 072101.09.7
    QUALIFICATION: MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY
    PROGRAM DURATION: 1.5 YEARS
    CREDITS: 90 ECTS

    ANAU 3

    FOOD SAFETY PROGRAM designed to provide Master Level education for individuals with degrees such as veterinary medicine, food technology, medicine, microbiology, biochemistry and similar specialties in the field of food safety and public health. This program provides advanced academic training in food safety and food control, considering the relationship between food and public health. The main aim of this program is to train good skilled specialists in the area of food safety with capacities of risk assessment and management. The main objective of this Master Degree Program is to prepare a specialist, which will have necessary knowledge and capabilities to investigate/inspection of the food quality, calculate and determine the risk assessment/analyze, and based on the national and international food safety managing legislation to make conclusions about future effect on public health.

    ANAU 1
    ANAU 2

    The Program has 17 modules of which 12 compulsory, 5 optional, Industrial Internship, Experimental Internship and Thesis Defence.

    The compulsory modules are:

      Field Specific English
    • Food Chemistry
    • Biostatistics and Data Analysis
    • Food Law
    • Food Science and Biochemistry
    • Methodology of Scientific Research
    • Advanced Food Microbiology 2
    • Risk Analysis
    • Food Toxicology and Allergology
    • Food Production
    • Agribusiness Management
    • Communication Skills

    The optional modules (in the 2nd and 3rd semesters students should select 1 of the provided optional modules) are:

    • Food Born Disease
    • Food Fraud and Mitigation
    • Shelf-Life Prediction
    • Project Management
    • Biosafety and Biosecurity

    "Train the Trainers" - Project Event in Teramo, Italy

    The ABIONET Project meeting and “Train the Trainers” session were held in Teramo from the 6th to the 11th of May 2019. During this time, the ABIONET partner consortium was involved in several activities such as lectures given by professors and academics from different institutions within the consortium, visits to the University of Teramo Laboratories, a workshop and group activities included in the “Train the Trainers” program, and ending the week with the ABIONET project meeting.

    The Training (6th-8th May), mainly given in the form of seminars and lasting for three days, focused on several important topic areas for today’s food sector including: Food technologies for innovations (Seminars by UNITE), Bioactives and healthy compounds in formulated foods (Seminars by UNITE & IHU), Food Analysis (Seminars by UNITE), Food Nutrition (Seminars by UNITE), Food Packaging (Lectures by IHU), Business Management and Communication Skills (Seminars by TUD), and Funding Application Management (Seminars by UNITE).

    The Workshop (8th-10th May) on "Course Module Design" included a 2-hour teamwork activity, and ran in parallel to the final part of the training with Professor Paola Pittia (University of Teramo, IT) as chair of the event. Various topics were covered in the workshop by experts in the fields of Innovation (TUD, UCP), Sustainable and Classic Entrepreneurship in BioEconomy (TUD, UCP), New Skills and Training Methodologies for the Food Sector (UNITE), and Valorization of Research Outcomes in Bioproducts (UCP).

    The week in Teramo ended with the Project Meeting held from 10th-11th May.

    Teramo 1
    Teramo 2 Teramo 3 Teramo 4

    ABIONET Summer Webinars

    ABIONET is organizing a series of online seminars (webinars) for the Summer 2020.

    The series are free for Armenian HEI staff and students.

    You may register here: Webinar Registration Form

    The full Webinar Program follows:

    1st PERIOD: 1 July – 15 July


    Title: Biopolymer based packaging; applications for the food sector
    Date: Tuesday 7/7/2020
    Time: Italy: 9:00
    Greece: 10:00
    Armenia: 11:00
    Duration: 1 hour
    Institution: International Hellenic University
    Panelist: Kiki Zinoviadou


    Title: Food sensory analysis
    Date: Wednesday 8/7/2020
    Time: Italy: 9:00
    Greece: 10:00
    Armenia: 11:00
    Duration: 1 hour
    Institution: International Hellenic University
    Panelist: Kiki Zinoviadou


    Title: Liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry for the determination of pesticides in food samples
    Date: Thursday 9/7/2020
    Time: Italy: 14:00
    Greece: 15:00
    Armenia: 16:00
    Duration: 1 hour
    Institution: University of Teramo
    Panelist: Manuel Sergi


    Title: Novel food structuring agent
    Date: Monday 13/7/2020
    Time: Italy: 9:00
    Greece: 10:00
    Armenia: 11:00
    Duration: 1 hour
    Institution: International Hellenic University
    Panelist: Kiki Zinoviadou


    Title: Rapid sensing of phenolic compounds in foods
    Date: Tuesday 14/7/2020
    Time: Italy: 12:00
    Greece: 13:00
    Armenia: 14:00
    Duration: 1 hour
    Institution: University of Teramo
    Panelist: Dario Compangnone

    2nd PERIOD: 24 August – 15 September


    Title: Cereal Bioactive compounds: the case of fibers
    Date: Thursday 27/8/2020
    Time: Italy: 9:00
    Greece: 10:00
    Armenia: 11:00
    Duration: 1 hour
    Institution: International Hellenic University
    Panelist: Maria Papageorgiou


    Title: Food and nutrition labelling
    Date: Friday 28/8/2020
    Time: Italy: 9:00
    Greece: 10:00
    Armenia: 11:00
    Duration: 1 hour
    Institution: University of Teramo
    Panelist: Paola Pittia


    Title: Formulation Strategies to Enhance Health and Nutrional Value of Foods
    Date: Monday 31/8/2020
    Time: Italy: 9:00
    Greece: 10:00
    Armenia: 11:00
    Duration: 1 hour
    Institution: University of Teramo
    Panelist: Paola Pittia


    Title: Gluten free products: Challenges and opportunities of new ingredients and processes
    Date: Wednesday 9/9/2020
    Time: Italy: 13:00
    Greece: 14:00
    Armenia: 15:00
    Duration: 1 hour
    Institution: International Hellenic University
    Panelist: Maria Papageorgiou