East Midlands food and drink firms are being urged to come
forward if they need support for innovation projects.
The Food and Drink iNet, which operates across the region, has
an £85,500 pot of finance available this summer to provide
match-funded support for eligible projects, which could be focusing
on new products, accessing new markets or looking at new ways of
working.
The Food and Drink iNet provides advice, guidance and financial
support for innovation projects to eligible small and medium-sized
food and drink businesses through its advisors across Derbyshire,
Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and
Rutland.
Now the organisation, which is funded by East Midlands
Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development
Fund (ERDF) is looking to work with additional food and drink firms
which have innovative ideas in the pipeline.
Food and Drink iNet Director Richard Worrall said: "We are
looking forward to supporting food and drink firms across the
region with their innovative projects that will help to increase
productivity, achieve growth, and improve competitiveness and
sustainability.
"The Food and Drink iNet has a successful history of supporting
innovation schemes within firms, and our advisors are on hand to
ensure that, with Food and Drink iNet support, the food and drink
sector in the region continues to grow and thrive."
The iNet helps East Midlands food and drink firms engage
expertise from academia, research institutions and specialist
business advice for innovation projects to develop new ideas, new
products, new processes and to help companies grow. 50% of
the equivalent cash value of the support must be contributed by the
company.
A new phase of support has just got underway across the region,
and now the iNet is looking for additional firms to work with.
The Food and Drink iNet is one of four regional iNets developed
to link academic and private sector expertise and knowledge with
local food and drink business innovation needs.
The Food and Drink iNet aims to build on the tradition of
innovation in the food and drink industry in the region by helping
to create opportunities to develop knowledge and skills, and to
help research, develop and implement new products, markets,
services and processes. It is managed by a consortium, led by the
Food and Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday,
Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the
University of Nottingham.