Scottish food and beverage businesses that work together on innovative projects will be able to apply for £650,000 in funding.
The Collaborative Innovation Fund, which is co-financed by Scottish Enterprise, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), will open for applications on 1 July.
Organisers say the rationale behind the initiative is that collaboration has been the ‘central ingredient’ in the growth of Scotland’s food and drink industry over the last ten years.
They hope multi-disciplinary projects between businesses, academics and other innovation providers will further stimulate fresh thinking and open up new opportunities.
The fund runs over a three-year period and collaborations may form independently or be part of an existing group.
Head of food and drink at HIE Elaine Jamieson said: “Innovation in food and drink is vital to empower Scotland’s businesses to respond to today’s consumer market.
“We are delighted to support and lead this new fund which exclusively focuses on innovative outcomes of scale and addresses key food and drink opportunities or challenges to help achieve growth for the sector.
“Research and industry insights tell us that SMEs often find it a challenge to undertake significant innovation activity on their own. By encouraging a culture of collaboration, we expect businesses to generate a much more proactive approach which will lead to new growth and increased competitiveness.”
This fund is part of a wider £1.1m programme of innovation support for the food and drink industry from the enterprise agencies and Scottish Funding Council.
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