Food and drink businesses in eastern Scotland can now get expert help developing new products and processes through a new initiative by the University of Abertay Dundee.
The university has launched food innovation @ abertay (FIA), a dedicated technology transfer unit aimed at supporting small and medium-sized companies.
The unit has GBP 80,000 funding from the European Regional Development Fund. It will provide academic and business expertise to companies looking to develop new, healthier products and new markets, as well as make use of new technologies and training.
There are around 1,600 food and drink sector workplaces in Scotland, employing 53,200 people – about 17 percent of the total Scottish manufacturing workforce. More than two out of three employ fewer than 50 people. Jennifer Bryson, who has joined Abertay to run the unit, commented, “The Scottish food industry is still very fragmented and lacks scale, making it harder than it need be to compete at European and world level.”
FIA will offer consultancy and applied research in food and drink, particularly in health and nutrition. It will advise companies on how to use university food technology expertise better.
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