Radical approach to research needed
Larry Murrin, chief executive of Dawn Farm Foods and chairman of IBEC’s Food and Drink Industry Ireland, said the state research and development model for food used during the past two decades will not work in the future.
“It has not produced sufficient results or return on investment for the agri-food sector or the economy. Neither did it support or create a culture of research and innovation throughout the food sector. And it was characterised by a distinct lack of linkage between the research institutes, food manufacturers and the marketplace,” he said.
Mr Murrin was speaking at a conference in University College Dublin on A New Roadmap for Education, Research and Innovation.
Mr Murrin said his company and many others in the sector have participated in food research projects run by research institutes.
“In the majority of cases, our involvement was simply aimed at legitimising the project, in other words, to tick the box on industry support. The number of these projects that led to any commercial benefit to the food industry is disappointing, to say the least.”
Mr Murrin said a new model is required if the standard set by competitors is to be reached. “My own experience and that of other companies tells me that the so-called collaborative research process where industry is asked to endorse a predefined research project just does not work. To be blunt, this is not innovation-driven but institution-driven.
Mr Murrin said the food industry needs a pipeline of research-based evidence on key consumer trends, on the management and usage of costly resources such as energy and water, and on climate change and carbon footprint.
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Mary Coughlan officially opened the conference, organised by her department, Teagasc and UCD.
It was attended by 200 leading executives from the agri-food industry, the state sector and the universities.
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