National Food Innovation Hub opens at Teagasc Moorepark
Pictured at the official opening of the National Food Innovation Hub in Teagasc Moorepark, Fermoy, Co Cork are An Taoiseach Micheál Martin with Liam Herlihy, Teagasc Chairman and Professor Gerry Boyle, Teagasc Director. Picture: O'Gorman Photography.
An €8.8m investment by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine at Teagasc Moorepark has been officially opened by An Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
The National Food Innovation Hub is a newly constructed facility adjoining the Teagasc Food Research Centre at Moorepark in Cork.
The Hub provides secure, confidential office and lab spaces for lease to food companies where they can base their research and development teams.
The facility will provide food companies with an opportunity to collaborate with the expert food scientists from the Teagasc Food Research Programme, and access adjoining world-class pilot plant facilities at Moorepark Technology Ltd (MTL).
Speaking at the opening, Mr Martin said the development was conceived to support food companies located in Ireland trying to secure new export markets in the post-Brexit era.
"I’m confident that in this unique environment that has been created with this facility, food companies will greatly enhance their research and innovation capacity,” he added.
Completed in June 2021, the National Food Innovation Hub is already at full occupancy. Client companies work in the areas of dairy and other nutritional products, natural food colours and gut health, and clients represent a mixture of start-up companies, multinationals, Irish dairy co-ops and foreign direct investment.
Teagasc Director, Professor Gerry Boyle added: “I would like to acknowledge the support from the Government for food research in Ireland.
“It has been critical to building the infrastructure within Teagasc, which is now available to support a modern and continuously evolving food sector in Ireland.
“The National Food Innovation Hub will harness the state of the art food processing infrastructure at MTL Moorepark; the creativity of Teagasc’s top class food scientists; and the collective business ambition of the companies in the Hub to drive innovation, jobs and export diversification.”
Meanwhile, The National Food Innovation Hub builds on a recent €10m investment by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in Moorepark Technology Ltd.
Minister Charlie McConalogue highlighted how the Department was “a strong supporter” of the initiative.
“We were particularly pleased to provide significant capital funding of some €9m from the Department’s capital budget to enable Teagasc to complete this new world-class facility,” he continued.
“This funding represents a strong commitment by the Government to increase the rate of research and innovation in the agri-food sector and to support food companies located in Ireland to secure new export markets in the post Brexit era.
“With a research focus on food processing, quality and nutrition, I believe the Food Innovation Hub will help to deliver significant change in innovation activity and act as a catalyst to promote greater collaboration between industry and public research”.
