Seeding the Future

Food System Innovation Lab

Seeding the Future

Established by Dr. Bernhard van Lengerich, the Seeding the Future (STF) Foundation seeks to seed and accelerate innovative, multidisciplinary, and scalable approaches that sustainably and equitably improve the global food supply.

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Program Overview

Climate change, nutrition inequities, and increasing urban populations are driving an urgent need for impactful solutions. The Seeding the Future Food System Innovation Lab is training the next generation of leaders through skills such as human centered design and entrepreneurship. Now in its third year, students across Tufts University are collaborating to tackle food insecurity, support for food ventures in developing countries, and more.

Dr. Bernhard van Lengerich

Bernhard completed his Doctorate Degree (Dr.-Ing.) in Food/Biotechnology at the University of Berlin, Germany. His work experience includes Unilever Germany, RJR Nabisco, and Buehler AG in Switzerland. In 1994 Bernhard joined General Mills, Inc. in Minneapolis and was Chief Science Officer and Vice President for Technology Strategy. He led the development of key enabling technologies resulting in major product innovations. Bernhard authored/co-authored over 160 patents and patent applications, established a Game Changer program and created a novel ‘Cashless Venturing’ initiative, enabling faster and more disruptive innovations. Under the Obama Administration, he was an invited participant at the White House Office for Science and Technology Policy for discussions on global protein security. Bernhard retired in 2015 after more than 20 years with General Mills and serves now as a Board Member at several organizations in the US and Europe.