UQ academic steps up to the plate

The University of Queensland’s Associate Professor Ray Collins has been appointed to chair a $35 million program to boost Australia’s regional food and seafood industries.

The four-year Regional Food Producers Innovation and Productivity Program (RFPIPP) encourages food and seafood businesses to apply for projects that focus on innovation and technology improvements.

Associate Professor Collins from the School of Integrative Systems said that RFPIPP could not only generate huge benefits for the food and seafood industry, but that UQ could benefit as well.

“This program will improve efficiencies, create jobs and encourage innovation in our food and seafood industries,” he said.

“In the process of achieving this, it will also strengthen the collaborative networks between businesses and the rest of their supply chains.”

“Funding these kinds of innovations means that firms will need to draw on research, development and consultancy in the fields of food, engineering and agribusiness – fields where UQ has a proven track record.”

The projects can focus on the design and implementation of new technologies, production or processing techniques; adoption of food production or processing technologies developed overseas or the innovative redesign of existing production/processing lines to improve efficiencies and productivity. Organisations can apply for between $50,000 and $2 million for each project.

The program is funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and organisations interested in applying for funding should visit www.daff.gov.au/agriculture-food/food/foodinnovation.