Multinationals Invest in Research Institute in the Netherlands

Large companies such as Unilever, FrieslandCampina, VION, DSM and CSM are already active in TI Food and Nutrition. The leading institute is financed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, participating companies and institutes of learning.

Oct 20 2010 --- Five large multinationals in the food industry will be investing, together with companies in the Netherlands, institutes of learning and professional sector institutes, in TI Food and Nutrition in the Netherlands . It concerns Nestlé, Kellogg, Danone, Fromageries Bel and Christian Hansen . TI Food & Nutrition is a leading institute guided by the industry, in which companies combine their power to carry out strategic research in innovation.

The Minister for Economic Affairs, Maria van der Hoeven, gave the green light on Wednesday 29th September 2010 of the second phase of the innovation programme. The Ministry of Economic Affairs invests € 100 million in this scheme. Together with TI Food andNutrition, Food & Nutrition Delta (FND) also takes part in the innovation programme. The FND programme stimulates the conversion of strategic knowledge in innovation and to strengthen the innovation power of the small medium enterprise (SME).

The Minister applauds the decision of the international companies. ’I see the food- and pharmaceutical sector as one of the pillars on which the innovation power of our economy rests’.

For a further opportunity of TI Food and Nutrition of reaching the European top it is of utmost interest to also commit international partners.

‘Van der Hoeven is furthermore pleased about the large participation of SME to the programme.: ‘Usually the small-scale companies come with clever ideas and develop new mode of operations’.

Van der Hoeven mentioned in her speech some examples of results of the projects. A new technology has been developed to lower the quantity of salt in meat- and cheese products without the loss of flavour. The also mentioned results of two SME-companies. Newtricious has a bio-active matter in eggs that possibly could play a role by preventing illnesses related to obesitas. And the company Ojah has developed high-quality and healthy meat substitutes with a quality that can hardly be distinguished from meat.

Large companies such as Unilever, FrieslandCampina, VION, DSM and CSM are already active in TI Food and Nutrition. The leading institute is financed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, participating companies and institutes of learning. Three hundred academic scientists work at the institute. The number of participating companies in the projects of the Food & Nutrition Delta programme has grown to 326, more than 80% of these is SME.

From January 2011 and four years onwards Chr. Hansen and the Dutch research consortium will collaborate on research in five specific projects which will pave the way for improved insight about the role of probiotics in the gut.

“I’m very pleased to announce this research alliance,” says Benedicte Flambard who heads up R&D in Chr. Hansen’s Health & Nutrition Division. “TI Food and Nutrition is a recognized research leader with internationally renowned scientific experts in its network. The partnership will not enable us to offer new, scientifically documented probiotic solutions right away. Rather, we expect this initiative to bring the fundamental, pre-competitive probiotic research to the next level, bridging it with current challenges in the food, nutrition and pharmaceutical industries.”

Jan Maat, Managing Director of TI Food and Nutrition welcomes Chr. Hansen as one of five new industry partners in the research program for the next four years. “We are very proud to have Chr. Hansen as a partner because of their leading business position. We are committed to a structured approach to pre-competitive applied research of strategic importance to our industry partners. Our 2011-2014 program enables our partners to select and invest in the research that offers them the greatest innovation potential in line with their business development strategies and R&D capabilities,” Jan Maat comments.

As an industrial sponsor Chr. Hansen will obtain rights to any intellectual property resulting from the partnership program. Moreover, the alliance allows immediate industrial implementation of results or technologies which are developed in the collaboration.