FDBusiness.com

The European Technology Platform (ETP) ‘Food for Life’ has launched its new Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda (SRIA) which places a renewed emphasis on innovation. Established back in 2005 under the management of FoodDrinkEurope, the ETP ‘Food for Life’ is an industry-led, public/private partnership encouraged by the European Commission to drive forward innovation in the food and drink industry by bringing together key stakeholders to improve knowledge transfer and stimulate competitiveness across the food chain.

ETP ‘Food for Life’ President, Dr Mike Knowles comments: “Research and innovation activities, such as those proposed by ETP ‘Food for Life’, help support the competitiveness of the European food and drink industry and also enable the industry to better respond to the needs of Europe‘s consumers to ensure their nutritional and lifestyle requirements are catered for. The new Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda is therefore an important step forward in this respect.”

ETP ‘Food for Life’s first Strategic Research Agenda was published in July 2007. However, owing to policy developments in the European Commission, such as the publication of the EU 2020 Flagship Initiatives and the establishment of the Innovation Union, the ETP ‘Food for Life’ decided to produce an updated document reflecting such developments.

The new document outlines several main goals for the ETP including: (i) identifying and prioritising the research needs of Europe’s food industry, (ii) coordinating research in the food sector across Europe and (iii) encouraging the participation of SMEs in research activities through specific programmes and networks. The SRIA is available for download via the FoodDrinkEurope website at: www.fooddrinkeurope.eu and will be continuously updated in line with new developments.