Member Article

Innovation network served up for Northern food industry

Food and drink industry experts from the North of England will launch a unique scheme tomorrow to encourage faster economic growth and help bridge the £29 billion output gap between the North of England and the rest of the UK. Hosted by the Food Processing Faraday Partnership Ltd - a dedicated resource set up by the DTI and Defra to assist the UK food and drinks industry, the Northern Food Industry Innovation Network (NFIIN) will be unveiled to an audience of industry heavyweights and university experts at the Hilton Hotel in Leeds city centre.

The network is supported by the Government’s Northern Way initiative, which aims to boost competitiveness in the Northern regions. Research led by the DTI indicates that a high proportion of local food and drink businesses are cutting down on their R&D investment, affecting their ability to remain competitive, efficient and innovative. In order to tackle this shortfall the NFIIN has been created to encourage a greater alliance between sector experts in Northern universities and food and drink companies. The Network aims to encourage and facilitate working-partnerships between the universities and industry.

At the launch event attendees will be able to identify ways to take advantage of the very latest technological developments and expertise within the universities to improve products, processes and systems, so that companies in the sector can compete in today’s global marketplace. The event will launch details of a new Industrial Collaboration fund, which will be available to support collaborative projects, and is available to any company within the Northern Way region. Guests will also hear from companies and academics that have already worked together on successful projects and the benefits generated for both parties.

To find out more about the Northern Food Innovation Network or to attend the launch event tomorrow contact: Dawn Lycett, Knowledge House, Marketing Manager, Tel: 0191 516 4408 or email: d.lycett@knowledgehouse.ac.uk.

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