As part of The University of Trinidad and Tobago's (UTT) initiative to deepen collaborations with Higher Education Institutions in the European Union, the University has collaborated with the University of West Attica in Greece.  Through this partnership, UTT was awarded a grant with the objective to develop and extend pathways to resilient agri-food systems and food security. 

For the period July 10-14, 2023, UTT was pleased to host Professor Anastasia Kanellou, Professor and Nutritionist of the University of West Attica, Greece. Professor Kanellou currently teaches Human Nutrition, Current Nutrition topics, Applied Nutrigenetics, New Food Product Development and Sensory Evaluation Laboratory.  Her research fields include Nutritional Epidemiology and Nutrition and Food. 

From left: Professor Marlon Knights, Professor Prakash Persad - President, UTT, Professor Anastasia Kanellou - Professor and Nutritionist of the University of West Attica, Greece

One of the expected outcomes of Professor Kanellou's mobility was gaining an understanding of the local dietary guidelines and dietary habits. UTT was also able to leverage the expertise, knowledge and experience of Professor Kanellou through interactive sessions with staff of our Biosciences, Agriculture and Food Technology department.  Additionally, Professor Kanellou paid a courtesy visit to Professor Persad, President, UTT, where opportunities for continued strategic collaborations were further discussed.  Through our industry partners, Professor Kanellou was able to experience the manufacturing process of chocolate via the Tamana Mountain Chocolate Company and gained an understanding of local food produce via NAMDEVCO.

Given the reciprocal nature of this collaboration, capacity development and training were also extended to UTT's faculty and students.  UTT's Food Technology Ph.D. student, Mervin Jack, was provided with a scholarship to undertake studies within a semester at the University of West Attica, Greece from February to April 2023.  During this time, Mervin was able to engage in research to compare street food vending policies of Trinidad and Tobago to that of Greece, analyse food safety knowledge of vendors and chefs in Attica, the attitude toward food handling practices and observe the phenomena of Greek street food preparation, compared to that of Trinidad and Tobago.

As part of this collaboration, UTT's faculty Ms. Carla Marcelle Boyce and Ms. Neela Sumessar are also currently engaged in understanding pedagogical practices and innovation in food technology at the University of West Attica, Greece.  They will also be participating in touring and learning about the laboratory design and improvements in equipment and methodologies in food technology that reflect modernisation in research and development.

These collaborations were made possible via ERASMUS+ Funding and with the support of the University of West Attica, Greece. For further information or if you are interested in collaborations with European institutions and the exploration of funding opportunities, please contact the International Office at internationaloffice@utt.edu.tt .