FDBusiness.com

Leatherhead Food Research has launched Food Innovation: INTENT, a new open innovation initiative which will evaluate new and emerging technology for the food and beverage industry.

A recent survey by Leatherhead Food Research highlighted that there is a clear need for new technology to deal with challenges within the industry. However, progressive food, beverage and ingredient companies investing in any new technology need to be confident and reassured that the ones they select are directly applicable to their specific products and applications, easily commercialised, and furthermore deliver a financial return within a short period of time. Leatherhead’s new Food Innovation: INTENT working group has therefore been created to help mitigate the risk of early market entry by driving access to emerging technologies, as well as evaluating potential solutions to industry challenges in a cost-effective pre-competitive environment.

Food Innovation: INTENT will be assembled from food and beverage industry representatives, academics, technology owners and experts from within Leatherhead. It will promote open innovation, idea exchange and networking on neutral territory. In addition, it will be committed to independently evaluating the technology presented with an open mind, as well as considering the widest potential applications of the technology. Participants will be actively encouraged to contribute to the group through sharing pre-competitive visions and wish lists to facilitate and maximise the value of scouting activity.

Working group members will have the opportunity to attend quarterly seminars designed to maximise the value of participating in Food Innovation: INTENT. These seminars will provide the opportunity for technology owners to present their technology to those assembled, as well as facilitate the ensuing dialogue between technology owners and industry representatives. Leatherhead Food Research will independently support any dialogue between technology owners and working group participants and help to identify, scope and propose collaborative feasibility, proof-of-principal and pre-competitive research activity.

Leatherhead will also gather insight into desired technology and strategic objectives as indicated by the group. It will then utilise the information gathered to undertake scouting activity in order to deliver a quarterly newsletter containing generic scouting activity, and specifically in respect of technologies requested through the group.

“We’re excited about the launch of Food Innovation: INTENT,” says Steve Osborn, Business Innovation Manager. “The working group provides an excellent platform for food and beverage companies, inventors, academics and technology owners to connect with one another and explore the opportunities for developing new technologies to address current challenges, or to discuss how existing technologies can be transferred from other industries to our own. It also opens the door for working group members to participate in collaborative feasibility and proof-of-principle studies, thus enabling cost-effective early evaluation.”

He continues: “Food Innovation: INTENT provides a great opportunity for participants to develop their business innovation culture from late followers to early adopters through a true Open Innovation platform.”

The inaugural Food Innovation: INTENT meeting will be held at Leatherhead Food Research, Surrey, UK on 31 January 2013 and is open to members of the working group. Companies interested in participating in this exciting new opportunity should email Steve Osborn, Business Innovation Manager, at intent@leatherheadfood.com.