Merging digitalization tools for training the new generation of bio-chemical engineers: challenges and perspectives

Digitalization is reshaping the qualifications required for a growing industry 4.0. Efforts are necessary to introduce those skills into the biochemical engineers' competences. Future engineers need to feel comfortable designing and using digitalization tools to drive developments in biomanufacturing. In this contribution, we discuss the challenges of building digital objects for novel pilot units, to be used for student exercises and research towards more digital assisted operation within the context of digital twins. Besides, relevant topics for digitalization strategy are discussed as planning, team assembly, and infrastructure upgrades. For illustration, obstacles of digitalization of novel membrane technologies with time-variant nature and limited process understanding are discussed, focusing on the modelling approaches from whiter hybrid models to pure data-driven representations. Perspectives on the future needs and potential implications are presented.