17 July
A £6.9 million funding package has now been formally approved for Sheffield Hallam University to develop the UK’s first centre of excellence for food engineering.
The University will receive the funds following a successful bid to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) Catalyst Fund, which provides funding for university-led projects that work together with businesses to support the UK’s economic recovery.
Money will be used to create the National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering, developed at the University in collaboration with the Food and Drink Federation and National Skills Academy for Food and Drink, alongside industry partners including Cargill, Dalehead Foods, Mars, McCain Foods, Nestlé, Premier Foods, Warburtons and William Jackson Food Group. Partners will contribute equipment, facilities, mentors or advisers.
The centre will be fully operational by 2017 and will see the University become a leading education provider for the food and drink industry. It will include state of the art facilities and research and development services to address efficiency in food production and manufacturing processes. The centre also aims to address a growing skills shortage in the food manufacturing sector.
Read more about this on the University’s media centre.