Mymensingh: The Food Systems Innovation Challenge-2026 will be held here for the third time, aimed at transforming global food systems towards sustainability. Wageningen University and Research (WUR) and the Netherlands Food Partnership (NFP) will organise the event. To provide overall guidance on the competition, an online briefing session will be held on January 22.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Bangladesh Coordinator of the competition, Professor Dr. Mohammad Matiur Rahman from the Department of Fisheries Biology and Genetics at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), stated that the core objective of the challenge is to design and implement nature-based solutions within local food systems. Rahman announced that online registration for the competition will commence soon, with the application deadline set for March 3. Selected teams will be announced on March 24, and from March to September, they will work on implementing their proposed projects. The final round of the competition is scheduled for September 29 in Wageningen, the Netherlands.
The Bangladesh coordination team has arranged a special orientation session for BAU students interested in participating in the competition. Professor Rahman mentioned that this session will be held on January 27 at the gallery of the Faculty of Fisheries, BAU.
According to information available on the official website of the competition, undergraduate and postgraduate students from any university are eligible to participate. However, individuals who completed their degrees before 2024 and are not currently enrolled in any academic programme are not eligible. Participants of the 2025 edition of the competition are also ineligible to apply for the 2026 challenge. Each selected team will receive financial support of 1,000 euros to implement their project.
Teams must consist of 4 to 8 students, and participants may form mixed teams comprising students from different universities, provided that at least two members are enrolled in a listed partner university. During the project implementation period from March to September, at least two team members must be physically present at the project site.
Bangladesh joined the initiative in 2025. Continuing this expansion, the 2026 edition will feature 16 teams from 14 countries, including Bangladesh, the Netherlands, Brazil, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Suriname, Uganda, Senegal, Benin, and Vietnam.