Strategic institute programme
Close interaction between industry, R&D centres and the resource apparatus is vital for success in creating added value. This is especially true in a society in which knowledge represents an ever greater part of being competitive.
New working models
The goal of this programme is to develop working models for how research and industry can work together to meet the needs of the food industry for innovation and value creation. The programme is intended to develop methods for getting from initial idea to the launch of a new product. Complicated products and an increasing focus on full meal solutions mean that more collaboration is needed right across organisational boundaries. In this programme, Nofima Mat will develop new working models to help the food industry to open up its innovation processes and develop new products and meal concepts in collaboration with other companies in different industries.
R&D and trends
Research centres should contribute to increasing competitiveness and new company start ups in the sector by transferring competence to the players in the market.
Trends come and go and what consumers demand of food products and mealtime solutions changes all the time. The massive trend towards healthy eating shows how quickly industry attempts to keep up with new trends. Product development is also a result of the influence of the supermarket chains. The fight for shelf space and consumer attention means that suppliers must present product ranges that safeguard both stability and renewal.
Making the connection
Developing new products involves taking risks. The food industry is therefore anxious to discover factors and methods that can improve the success rate of new developments. Complicated products (such as foods with a health benefit) and an increasing focus on full meal solutions mean that more collaboration is needed between the technical areas within a company, between companies and industries and with R&D centres. Many food companies do not have the structure and systems necessary for developing new products. Nofima Mat wants to be a connecting point in this process of creating arenas in which different players can address the same challenges together.
