Member Article

North food and drink industry gets a kick start

Knowledge House, the organisation that represents the North East’s five universities, is celebrating after it was part of a successful team awarded £500,000 to deliver a project that will give the North of England food & drink industry a competitive boost. The project, the Northern Food Industry Innovation Network or NFIIN, is part of the Northern Way Strategy, which aims to unlock the potential for faster economic growth and bridge the £29 billion output gap between the North of England and the rest of the UK.

Key challenges identified by Knowledge House include the need for businesses to grow, innovate and reduce wastes. Knowledge House intend to help local food & drink companies close the Northern output gap by tapping into the knowledge, innovation and expertise within the universities of Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland, Durham and Teesside.�

To support these businesses the project will provide innovation grants to enable companies and university experts to work together on innovations including new product and process development. It will provide online access to the very latest information and data within the region’s universities and give hands-on help to businesses seeking to identify new opportunities and share best practice.

Mark Jackson, Business Development Director at Knowledge House, said: “This is an excellent opportunity to close the productivity gap between the North of England and the rest of the UK in this sector. “We are looking forward to working with our partners and the region’s world-class universities to offer the food & drink industry the opportunity to boost competitiveness and out perform its competitors through access to the very latest in research, training, technology, design, funding and industry expertise.”

To find out more about NFIIN contact Dawn Lycett, Central Business Support Officer, Knowledge House on 0191 516 4408 or email d.lycett@knowledgehouse.ac.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .