Thought for Food Blog

Collaboration Key to Putting Food on the Research Menu

Universities not only create new knowledge but also use and share their research and resources to enhance innovation. They can solve real-world problems and improve the strength of national and international economies through collaborative research and development programmes and consultancy.

Cross-disciplinary work is particularly strong at institutions engaged in food chain research. A focus on good nutrition and the environmental consequences of food production is as important as increased food supply in tackling the threats to global food security.

Food Research Collaboration | IFIS Publishing

An effective approach requires the co-ordination of expertise across agriculture, animal and plant sciences, economics, food policy, bioscience, food science and nutrition, and psychology.

Collaborating to boost key skills

The University of Reading is one of the lead partners in a major scheme to ensure that the agri-food industry has the key skills needed to meet the challenges posed by national and global food security. Funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Reading is running a Food Advanced Training Partnership (ATP) on food quality and health.

The UK food manufacturing sector employs over 500,000 people with a further 2.5 million employed in food retail and catering and 530,000 in agricultural and horticultural production. The agri-food sector is therefore vital to UK health and wealth.

The ATP initiative brings together more than twenty key industry partners, including Coca-Cola, Waitrose, and Mars, who are collaborating with the university to develop the skills needed to support the production of quality food, from farm to fork. The University is also working with the University of Birmingham and Rothamsted Research to deliver a flexible programme of teaching and training.

Dr. Richard Frazier, Director of the Food Quality and Health ATP at Reading, said:

Our partnership brings together leading experts working on the food chain from production to consumption, from academia and industry, focused on delivering high-quality and real-world, relevant training. Our aim is to develop the skills of the food industry leaders of tomorrow to drive forward innovation and strengthen the competitiveness of the UK food industry.

Using knowledge to innovate

Under the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) scheme, the University of Reading works with a range of companies and organisations to undertake innovative and strategic projects.

The Knowledge Transfer Centre at the University has been assisting companies, charities and academic teams to work together successfully since 1994. It leads one of the most successful KTP programmes in the UK, as well as promoting other knowledge transfer opportunities.

One of the successful KTPs has been with BV Dairy, which produces a range of specialist dairy products for the food manufacturing and catering markets. The company utilised the University’s expertise in dairy to help develop a new ultrafiltration process – a variety of a membrane filtration methods, typically used with protein solutions – for the manufacture of traditional and novel soft cheeses. The use of this type of process wasn’t widespread within dairies at the time, so there were a range of technical areas that needed tackling.

Jim Highnam, Managing Director of BV Dairy, said:

We have used KTP projects to gain a deeper technical understanding of the processes which are used within the dairy industry. With KTPs, we focus on specific, longer-term research and development to fast-track the accumulation of knowledge.

During the project, the company gets a full-time employee, known as a KTP Associate, who is often qualified to MSc or PhD level. The Associate will have a keen interest in the technical aspects of the project and will hopefully push the boundaries of the project into areas that had not been foreseen at the start of the project.

The academic staff are able to explore real-world technical issues, alongside the Associate, and the company’s staff are able to gain a better understanding of the science behind their processes. One thing never changes though: the commercial world always wants an instant answer, and the academic world requires more time to come to the right answer!

We are keen supporters of KTP projects (we are now running our third project) because we have found them to be productive and good value for money.’

Strengthening horticultural crop science

The University of Reading has long been involved in researching the impacts of climate change in agriculture and horticulture and remains a key player in this field with its investment in the Walker Institute for Climate Systems Research.

It has further strengthened its research in horticultural crop science through its work with East Malling Research (EMR) in Kent. EMR is one of the UK’s leading research centres for the horticultural industry and the new partnership will complement the expertise at Reading in the areas of diet, health and global food security.As an associated institute, EMR research staff are honorary members of the University’s academic staff in order to foster greater co-operation for the benefit of national and international food and health security.

The two organisations are already collaborating on aspects of the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale, which is managed by the University on behalf of DEFRA.

Professor Richard Tiffin, Director of the University’s Centre for Food Security, said:

By strengthening our links with East Malling we have created a critical mass in horticultural crop research which will allow us to make a leading contribution to the global objective of delivering a healthy balanced diet to all, which is central to ensuring food security.

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