GOe Tech Center unveils a new digital platform designed to engage citizens in real food research and innovation projects

GOe Tech Center, the gastronomy technology center of Basque Culinary Center, presents GOe Testers, a new digital platform designed to enable anyone to actively participate in real-world food research and innovation projects.

Available at goetesters.bculinary.com, the platform was created with the aim of connecting people with the development of the food systems of the future by facilitating their participation in studies, product tests, tastings, and both online and in-person experiences.

Through GOe Testers, participants will be able to contribute to surveys on eating habits, Home Use Tests (HUTs), tastings, consumer perception and experience studies, as well as the validation of new food products, services, and solutions. Activities will combine online and in-person formats, making it easy for people to take part in real gastronomy research and innovation projects.

“We believe gastronomic innovation is built with people. Understanding how we consume, what we value, and how we experience food is essential for developing solutions with real impact. GOe Testers allows us to incorporate this citizen perspective from the earliest stages of research and development,” says Begoña Rodríguez, Director of GOe Tech Center.

A Community to Co-Create the Food of the Future

GOe Testers is part of GOe Tech Center’s commitment to open innovation and citizen science. The platform opens research and innovation processes to society, incorporating the experience and knowledge of consumers into the design, development, and validation of new food solutions.

GOe Testers has been designed to integrate diverse perspectives and different forms of knowledge. While many studies will be open to anyone interested in contributing their everyday experience with food, the platform will also host projects aimed at specific profiles connected to the gastronomy and food sectors. Hospitality and foodservice professionals, people working in the food industry, nutrition specialists, and other related experts will be able to participate in research projects where their expertise is particularly relevant. This combination of perspectives will enrich research and innovation processes by incorporating both the views of society and the expertise of those who are part of the food ecosystem.

Through this initiative, consumers and professionals alike will be able to participate in testing activities, consumer studies, tastings, product validation, and other experiences linked to real research projects. The goal is to generate knowledge under real-life conditions and strengthen the connection between scientific activity and societal needs.

The platform has been developed over the past year as a strategic asset to facilitate and scale citizen participation in projects led by GOe Tech Center. This new capability will expand the center’s co-creation dynamics and foster more open, accessible, and inclusive innovation processes.

Many of these activities will take place at GOe – Gastronomy Open Ecosystem, the gastronomy innovation hub promoted by Basque Culinary Center in Donostia–San Sebastián. Conceived as an open space where research, education, entrepreneurship, and citizenship coexist, GOe reinforces a commitment to innovation that is closely connected to people and to the real challenges facing food systems.

No technical knowledge is required to participate. The platform is open to anyone interested in sharing their experience as a consumer and contributing to the development of new food products, services, and experiences.

GOe Testers Launches with a Study on Sustainable Food and New Research Experiences

GOe Testers is already running its first study, aimed at gaining a better understanding of the food consumption habits of people in the Basque Country from a sustainability perspective. Through a short survey targeting household grocery shoppers, the research team is analyzing aspects related to shopping and cooking habits, consumption of local and seasonal products, the presence of fresh foods in diets, and practices associated with food waste and recycling.

The study seeks to understand how everyday behaviors influence the sustainability of food systems and to identify which aspects of sustainable eating are most deeply embedded in society. The findings will generate valuable knowledge for future research and innovation projects focused on promoting more sustainable dietary habits.

Beyond this first study, GOe Testers will gradually incorporate different participation formats linked to real gastronomy research and innovation projects. These include Home Use Tests (HUTs), a methodology that allows participants to receive samples or products at home, test them under real usage conditions, and subsequently share their feedback through questionnaires or specific evaluation tools.

The platform will also host tastings, consumer perception and experience studies, validation of new food products and services, and other research initiatives in which the participation of consumers and professionals contributes to generating applied knowledge and developing solutions that are better aligned with society’s real needs.

Innovation with Real Impact

With the launch of GOe Testers, GOe Tech Center reinforces its commitment to an open innovation model in which citizens are not merely recipients of innovation but active contributors to its development.

The platform aims to become a benchmark space for citizen participation in gastronomy research and innovation, strengthening the link between scientific knowledge, industry, and society. It also includes a points-based system that recognizes participation in studies, surveys, tastings, and product tests. Accumulated points can be redeemed for various rewards, which currently include discounts at Apar restaurant—located on the fourth floor of GOe – Gastronomy Open Ecosystem in Donostia–San Sebastián—gastronomy courses and workshops offered by BCC Culinary Club, and gift cards for online shopping platforms. Additional reward options are expected to be added progressively.

This initiative reflects GOe Tech Center’s conviction that the best solutions for the future of food are built through collaboration, scientific evidence, and the active participation of people.