New innovation competitions for food and agriculture companies at a special Food and Drink iNet event

Midlands companies working in the food and agricultural sectors are being invited to discover how to take part in two Government competitions which are offering more than £15m for innovation funding.

The Food and Drink iNet is holding a bespoke event for the Midlands area in conjunction with the Biosciences Knowledge Transfer Network which will explain the latest funding competitions announced for the industry by the Government.

The event on April 19th at the University of Nottingham’s Sutton Bonington campus is also the chance for academics and researchers from the region’s universities to discover more about the funding opportunities recently launched by the Technology Strategy Board and Defra, but applications must be business led.

It is an addition to one of a number of regional workshops being organised around the UK to spread the word about the innovation for growth competitions.

“This event represents the ideal opportunity for businesses working in the food, drink and agricultural sectors in the Midlands to find out how they can apply to win funding for their innovation projects under these new competitions,” said Food and Drink iNet director Richard Worrall.

“For anyone who wants to know more about the competitions, the Bioscience KTN/TSB team will present the detail and be on hand to answer questions. It will help delegates to gain a better understanding of the scope of these competitions, as well as the competition process, rules and how to apply.

"It will also offer a great chance to network and seek partners for collaborative research and development project proposals.”

The Government announced two key funding competitions in March – one aimed at encouraging an increase in efficiency, sustainability and competitiveness in the food processing and manufacturing sector, and the other to help stimulate and promote innovation among small and medium-sized enterprises in the agriculture and the food and drink sectors. The first focuses on collaborative projects and will involve the whole food supply chain. The second is specifically targeted at micro, small and medium-sized companies.

More than £15 million is available in total.

Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Food and Drink iNet is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, with a team of advisors across the East Midlands, and is managed by a consortium, led by The Food and Drink Forum and including Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Nottingham.

It coordinates specialist support to stimulate innovation in the food and drink industry across Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland.

To register for the event at Sutton Bonington on April 19th, email enquiries@foodanddrinkforum.co.uk or call 0115 975 8810.


www.foodanddrink-inet.org.uk

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