Ireland 6m Boost Tender

- Food for Health Ireland secures 7.2m over five years from Enterprise Ireland- Funding will be matched by 7.2m from Irish industry partners and a further 7.2m from competitive sources- Centres expanded membership to establish Ireland as a global leader in the 250bn functional food marketMinister for Business Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys today announced Enterprise Ireland funding of 7.2 million over five years for Food for Health Ireland a Technology Centre based in University College Dublin UCD that aims to improve global health through innovation in functional food. Speaking at the launch Minister Humphreys said Innovation 2020 the Governments strategy for research and development science and technology recognises the importance of innovation for the agri-food sector. Enterprise Irelands continued support of Food for Health Ireland through investment in research and innovation capability will help to build competitive advantage in the food sector and is well aligned with our Future Jobs Ireland framework. Introducing companies to the expertise in Food for Health Ireland will lead to innovative technologies and job creation in the sector. The agri-food sector is Irelands largest indigenous industry and plays a crucial role in Irelands economic performance with a total turnover of over 26bn. Irish food and drink is sold in 180 markets worldwide by a countrywide network of around 1300 businesses. The agri-food sector accounts for 7.9 of total employment in the State. Some 38 or 5.2bn of exports go to the UK while 48 of our beef exports go to the UK. Market diversification both within the EU and to international markets is a key priority for the sector. That is why the Governments ongoing market diversification strategy is so vital as we deal with the challenges of Brexit. The great success of the Irish food sector in recent decades can be attributed to a number of factors but chief among them is the ingenuity and innovative capacity of Irish food companies according to Alexa Toomey Manager of Dairy Beverages and FDI at Enterprise Ireland. Our research shows that food and beverage companies that availed of collaborative innovation supports from Enterprise Ireland saw sales growth that was three times higher than those that did not participate she said. We are delighted to support the continued work of Food for Health Ireland with a renewed focus on expanding the network and commercialising its research outputs. Through programmes like this we can ensure that Ireland is recognised as a global leader in functional food innovation. This latest round of funding comes on the back of the centres 10-year collaboration with research and industry partners to produce peer-reviewed market-led research that supports innovation in the functional food space. Food for Health Irelands human-intervention trials have already produced results that can be translated into innovations in food for use in tackling the key health issues that underpin diabetes obesity and heart health as well as supporting healthier ageing.Food for Health Ireland has spent over a decade building a unique innovation ecosystem that brings together leaders in food and health research industry policy marketing and investment according to the centres new director Dr Nessa Noronha. Working with our industry partners Carbery Dairygold Glanbia Ireland and Kerry we have developed a world-class model for collaboration and we are now ideally placed to expand our network to include start-ups SMEs and other large and international players in the food and drink sector who need our support to innovate in the functional food space. Functional foods have a positive effect on health beyond basic nutrition helping to promote optimal health and reducing the risk of disease. Food for Health Irelands research addresses global concerns about food nutrition and wellbeing and health said the centres lead scientist Prof Dolores ORiordan Director of the UCD Institute of Food and Health. Our focus is on providing safe sustainable and scientifically-proven innovations in food. Our research addresses the growing desire globally for health-enhancing ingredients and functional food from healthier cheeses to sustainable dairy practices to environmentally beneficial food innovations.The global market for functional food is forecast to be worth more than 250 billion by 2023. Consumers are looking for health-enhancing ingredients to come in food not pills. Preventative holistic and natural health is replacing reactive treatment worldwide said Dr Noronha.The kind of research and insights we provide at Food for Health Ireland supports the food industry in maintaining a pipeline and a pathway for new functional foods to meet these mega-trends. World-class consumer-driven research is key to innovation in this space and our vision is to make Ireland a world leader in improving global health through functional food.Food for Health Ireland offers a tiered membership structure providing industry partners with a collaborative pre-competitive space in which they can access tailored research and insights. Our industry partners have unanimously confirmed that the core research programme of Food for Health Ireland was a key market differentiator in dealing with their customers said Dr Noronha. With this continued support from our partners and Enterprise Ireland we are delighted to now be in a position to build on our decade of experience and open up this model to new partners.