Future Food Systems CEO Dr James Krahe has announced the inclusion of leading Australian agrifood industry cluster Food & Agribusiness Network (FAN) as a core participant in the CRC.
The partnership will accelerate the Sunshine Coast-based cluster’s activities, and show its leadership within the area of collaborative agrifood research in Queensland and Australia. Through leveraging FFS’s network of leading researchers, FAN will lead projects addressing some of the biggest challenges encountered by agrifood industry members and local governments. The partnership will also assist FFS in delivering on its key objective of developing a strengthened agrifood system.
“Having FAN on board will open doors to collaboration and networking with other clusters, as well as with industry and research, including the potential for a number of projects with our research partner, Queensland University of Technology (QUT),” Dr Krahe says.
“At FFS, we are all about working together to address issues and overcome challenges to advance the future of food, in Australia and abroad.
“FAN’s values and vision align closely with those of FFS, where industry, research, government, and education and training providers work together to drive innovation and unlock growth.”
FAN’s inclusion in the FFS cohort will further strengthen ties and foster collaboration among agrifood-sector stakeholders regionally and nationally. In doing so, the partnership will play an important part in the sector’s sustainable growth and global competitiveness.
FAN: A productive agrifood ecosystem
FAN was established in 2015 to grow the region’s agrifood sector by creating an ecosystem that supports collaboration, accelerates innovation and drives trade, locally and globally. Currently, FAN has more than 370 members from across the food value chain, located in and around Gympie, Noosa, the Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay and beyond, and is recognised nationally and internationally as an exemplar agrifood hub. An industry leader, FAN played a pivotal role in a collaborative stakeholder bid for federal government funding to develop a state-of-the-art food and beverage manufacturing precinct for the region, netting a Modern Manufacturing Initiative grant of more than $33 million to establish the Turbine Precinct.
Through joining the FFS consortium, FAN hopes to build a regional agrifood cluster that enables businesses to value-add effectively and sustainably via smart innovation and targeted R&D.
“This collaboration enables us to enhance our research capabilities within our membership, which is essential for our growth as a leading Australian food cluster,” said FAN CEO Nicole McNaughton.
“Our organisation’s vision to grow our industry through collaboration greatly aligns with Future Food Systems’ mission to work in partnership with clusters to develop research pathways and foster innovation in our industry. We look forward to a fruitful partnership.”
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Lead image: Electropops, Sunshine Coast, produces its range of healthy iceblocks on site. The company is a member of FAN. Credit: Electropops