ESN-Industry Network Partnerships

The European Sensory Network invites industries as partners at the cutting edge of sensory and consumer research.

close collaborations

Since its foundation, the key aims of the European Sensory Network (ESN) have been to improve sensory and consumer research methodology for the benefit of industry and to promote the direct application of sensory analysis methods in the industry. To help support these aims, the ESN is offering a direct ESN-Industry Network Partnership with the express purpose of collaborating more closely with industry in the research and development of innovative methods and approaches in sensory and consumer sciences.


improving products

The ESN-Industry Network Partnership is open to all interested companies whose scope of activity is in line with the objectives of the sensory experts working together within the ESN - among these the improvement of products by promoting the application of practical sensory analysis and working towards an agreement on methods and approaches. "ESN-Industry Network Partnerships allow industrial companies and ESN members increased networking opportunities, thereby encouraging the organic growth of sensory and consumer sciences in an industrial context through personal discussions and debate", explains David Lyon, ESN co-founder and industrial advisor of the expert network.

Furthermore, David Lyon stresses that, "By establishing an even closer form of cooperation with the industry we hope to focus and intensify our research activities on questions of the most practical relevance to the industry. In our experience, whenever industry faces the need to explore new sensory and consumer methods and techniques, they profit from the collaboration with the ESN members who are clear leaders in the field."


broad spectrum

The ESN is interested in establishing ESN-Industry Network Partnerships across a broad spectrum of food and non-food industries. Networking and common research activities will be mostly at a pre-competitive level with the results open to all industry partners and all ESN members.

In addition to a funded and fully collaborative partner research programme, the partnership includes the possibilities of

  • collaborative group research involving two or more ESN members and two or more industry partners, with the results restricted to the group research partners or
  • collaborative private research involving two or more ESN members and one industry partner, with the results restricted to the private research partners.

Companies entering into the new networking partnership are expected to be active partners and will be required to financially support collaborative research projects with ESN members. Participants should commit to the partnership for a minimum period of three years. Formal networking between ESN members and industry partners will be at meetings organized twice a year.


exclusive knowledge

ESN partner research projects are conducted on a precompetitive level. Research results will be first made available to all ESN members and partners so that they have the initial opportunity to make use of the findings. ESN will not publish the results until at least 12 months after the project finalization.


examples of topics that have been previously addressed

  • Memorability of Food and of Eating Situations, 2009 Opens internal link in current window#1
  • Predicting Product Success by a Situational Approach, 2009  Opens internal link in current window#2
  • Emotion Measurement in Food Choice, 2010 (#3)
  • Palatability, Satisfaction, and Satiation of Beverages, 2010 (#4)
  • Can dislike be measured more precisely, 2010  (#5)
  • Temporality of Liking, 2014 (#6)
  • Wellbeing, 2016 (#10)
  • Immersive Methods, 2017 (#11)
  • Texture & Satiation, 2018 (#12)


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