UK Cross-Government Strategy for Food Research
Contributed by Anonymous on Friday, March 05 @ 12:27:31 CET
Topic: Control Systems
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UK Cross-Government Strategy for Food Research and Innovation
A very condensed summary of a long document
Summary: Food is inherently complex and multifaceted and the research and innovation reflects this complexity. Research and innovation are essential to meet the goals in Food 2030 and the pressures in the food system set to happen in future decades. Proposed are
- Food security research programme will be co-ordinated by BBSRC
- Technology Strategy Board Innovation Platform will fund innovative R&D in waste reduction and management and greenhouse gas reduction. £90m over 5 years
- EU funding including ERA nets should be exploited
- BBRSC Advanced Training partnership scheme (Masters, PhD & CDP)
- Development of new indicators for research collaboration, innovation and skills
Aims
Large diverse industry, many disciplines needed of which engineering is underpinning discipline,Fig 1, p 7
Goals
Resilient food businesses with first class R&D
Low carbon food system & efficient food chain
Waste reused recycled or to energy generation
Continuous improvement in food safety
Investment in science and technology
Challenges
Food demand increases 50% by 2030 for 8.3billion people
45% increase in energy demand in 2030
Largest use of freshwater
UK Food system
7% of GDP, employs 3.7million people
Responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas
Every household wastes £480pa, equivalent to increasing production by 66% in volume
R&D needs to be well integrated, new science exploited & research needs of food industry communicated to the research community. In agriculture mechanical innovations has a long lag of about 15 to 25 years
UK Research Funding
BBSRC has discontinuity in manufacture, responsibility of EPSRC responsible for fundamental engineering which has implications for food manufacturing and processing, Defra has responsibility production not agriculture. Scottish programme is recipe for success.
BBSRC is developing a cross-funder roadmap for research priorities, ESRC??SMEs??, NERC for water
TSBnew products and services based on technology food processing and waste, technology development product introduction and good practice.
Technology and process engineering is a strength, p22
Funding
Government funding was £415m for food research in FY08/09. This includes the Food and Environment Research Agency. Private sector is about 6900 food processing companies but research spend is low 0.24%. The 21 largest UK food producers spend 1.4% of sales on R&D, dominated by one large company. The Gatsby Charitable Foundation supports relevant plant science
Cross government initiatives include Energy - new BBSRC Sustainable Bioenergy Centre £27m., Food Security and the Ageing population.
Business Support has passed to the TSB Sustainable Agriculture & Food Innovation Platform with £90m over 5 years and the Biosciences Technology Area supports system modelling,sustainable processes for the production of food, materials and energy production.
The industry club model establishes a joint collaborative programme with industry and the research councils to support innovative research projects within academia that address generic, pre-competitive research challenges facing club members Defra LINK has been closed but a stand alone LINK sponsored by BBSRC promotes exploitation of research for the benefit of industry. The Knowledge Transfer Partnership to tackle specific industry problems.
Scottish Food and Drink has launched a tender for an innovation hub based in Aberdeen
European Union
Framework 7 provides Euro 32.4 billion in 10 themes. Food Agriculture and Biotechnology 1.9Beuro. The UK is currently involved in the development of EU Joint programme on Food Security.
UK China Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Network has an overall aim of contributing to a resource efficient, low carbon economy and an environmentally friendly society.
Defra Horizon Scanning and Futures Team covers food research and innovation at monthly club meetings.
Research challenges
The past 20 years have had a step increase in information technology and computers. Grand challenges will be long-term and high risk/reward
Themes
Economic resilience sustainability depends on an efficient business throughout the production and supply chain
Resource efficiency includes measures on waste, energy consumption, renewable energy usage and GHG emissions and food transport. Evaluation of environmental impact links in achieving a reduced carbon footprint including understanding the drivers of decisions by producers and consumers
Green house gases new technologies, management systems and management tools
Waste - Post harvest technologies to reduce crop storage losses, use of commercial food waste in chemical and other industries.
Energy - new technologies and management systems to reduce overall energy consumption in primary production, food processing and retail.
Water - Reduce water usage through new technologies, practices in food production and tools for evaluation of the water footprint in primary production.
Nutrients fertilisers need phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen and iron.
Food safety - reduction of the incidence of key foodborne pathogens (Campylobacter and Listeria) and management of risks emerging climate change, innovative technology increasing shelf-life, analytical methods, improving and implementing proportionate, evidence-based controls for the whole supply chain. Microbiologica safety of Food Funders Group co-ordinates R&D on emerging pathogens
Trade offs
Removal of misshapes increases the environmental impact of the food chain.
Early and improved engagement of emerging technologies is important
Aim a co-ordinated approach - funders working in isolation risk developing a partial evidence base, missing key perspectives and lead to unintended consequences.
Stronger & coherent evidence base
Buy-in and exploitation of research
Address research gaps and avoid overlaps
Improve horizon scanning
Tackle interface issues
Efficient use of overall resources
Build integrated community of researchers & share views
Identify opportunities for infrastructure & capacity in the UK
Minimise unnecessary administration
Platform for closer collaboration with the private sector
Maximise global impact of the research
Multi partner programme on Food Security
A major new multi-partner food security research programme is being developed delivered jointly with other Research Councils and government departments involving close engagement with industry and the third sector and provide multi-disciplinary research.
Principles
Joined up
Long term science priorities
Focus on outputs
Pragmatic can-do approach
Broad perspectives including natural, physical and social sciences
Set up a network of food research focal points within each funder
Government Food Research Group - RCs, devolved admins Secretariat GO Science BBSRC Defra and FSA engage with research providers, funders and users
Public/private Food Research Partnership aims to
Provide a high level forum to promote cross-sector dialogue
A challenge and sounding board function
Forge links between members organisations
Promote international co-operation
Key activities
TSB Sustainable Agriculture and Food Innovation Platform
Food research partnership to exploit ERA
High level UK forum
International platform
Skills capacity
Key resource the diverse range of providers in research and education has decreased significantly in recent years
Skills shortages include food quality, processing and manufacture and agricultural engineering, mathematical and computer sciences
Need to attract and train the next generation of researchers
Upskill the existing workforce
Negative perceptions of the industry
Limited opportunties for researchers in HEIs
Translation of research
Food research is relevant to manufacturing & UK business strength used to exploit technology.
Need to engage SMEs to engage directly with research services, companies and industry representatives
More sector led research, co-funding and efficient translation
Processing is an area of Applied research p54
End users include food processors, retailers, suppliers of equipment and machinery
Need close links between agricultural colleges and Universities
Key actions
Government co-ordination
Investment in high level skills
Advanced Training Partnerships Master, PhD and CPD
Better translation of research
Assess potential market failure - balanced score card
Common metrics for measuring skills and innovation
Food Research Group to implement strategy in 1 year & complete by March 2011
Funders
Defra remit - Sustainable low carbon and resource efficient patterns of production £66.9m
EPSRC - Engineering research includes machinery, automation food waste or recycling and food sensors p64 ££3.5
EU Food for Life technology platform
NERC Rural economy
Scotland RERAD has Food & Drink policy June 2008
TSB Food Innovation Platform, high value manufacturing Information and communication technology
Competing pressures
Embedded carbon in food is higher than in packaging so smarter packaging reducing waste may have net benefits
Full report url is: http://www.dius.gov.uk/~/media/publications/GO-Science/UK-Cross-Government-Food-Research-Strategy
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