incrops december 2010 newsletter
DESCRIPTION
Newsletter of InCrops Enterprise HubTRANSCRIPT
www.incropsproject.co.uk
Contact us:
Contact details for the
InCrops Business Innovation
Managers can be found in
our Newsletter or on the
Contacts section of our
website:
www.incropsproject.co.uk
If you have a general
enquiry, please contact the
main InCrops office on
01603 591765 or email us:
With thanks to all the
businesses, partners,
funders and other bodies
who have helped to make
the InCrops Enterprise Hub
a success in 2010
About InCrops
Based at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, the InCrops Enterprise Hub is a European funded, not for profit company, with a partnership of research, public sector and corporate partners who all work collaboratively to develop the commercial potential of innovative crops.
Working within the theme of low carbon economic growth, the InCrops Enterprise Hub is specially designed to stimulate the economy in the area of green innovation and green technology development ‐ an important sector for the future development of the UK. This year has seen the InCrops Enterprise Hub continue to build and develop its profile with many exciting new projects and developments to lead us into the year ahead.
In October, The InCrops Enterprise Hub was announced the winner of the ‘Low Carbon Innovation’ category at the Creating Futures Awards. Hosted by EEDA, GO‐East and the East of England Local Government Association (EELGA) in Ely, the ceremony acknowledged outstanding achievements in European projects with the Low Carbon Innovation award recognising InCrops’ outstanding level of innovation in pursuit of aiding low carbon business operations. Author and journalist Lucy Siegle presented the ceremony and her thought‐provoking presentation on ecological and ethical lifestyle matters identified the need to develop successful innovative solutions to encourage sustainable ‘green’ business practice.
Earlier this year, InCrops was pleased to announce the appointment of Marie Francis as Chair of InCrops Ltd, the UEA operating company that runs the Enterprise Hub. Marie brings to InCrops a wealth of experience within the agri‐business sector with connections amongst various research and commercial organisations across the East of England. She also has strong links in the agricultural and food industry and was awarded an OBE in 2004 for her services to agriculture and the rural economy. InCrops is delighted to have the opportunity to work with Marie during the next important phase of development. Since her appointment she has been instrumental in developing an InCrops submission on Innovation in EU Agriculture to the House of Lords, evidence of which can be accessed via www.parliament.uk.
December 2010this issue:
Director’s WelcomeBioenergy News
Agronomy and ConstructionBiopolymers and Biolubricants
Functional FoodsFunding Support
John French accepting the award from host Lucy Siegle
Marie Francis OBE Chair of InCrops Ltd
What we do • provide up to 14 hours of FREE specialist business
support to businesses and entrepreneurs based in the East of England
• help to develop collaborative, industry‐led projects with academic partners
• generate new joint projects across academic partners • connect regional researchers and companies with R&D partners,
investors and clients nationally and in other countries
What we cover Bioenergy and biofuels ● Biopolymers ● Biocomposites ● Biorefineries and biopharma ● Green built environment ● Functional foods and health products ● New consumer markets ● Agronomy and crop improvement
Who we are The InCrops Enterprise Hub is a distributed structure to support low carbon business growth by developing the markets for the derivatives of alternative and non‐food crops. The Hub draws upon the combined expertise of world‐class research centres.
InCrops Business Innovation Managers Back row l‐r Beatrix Schlarb‐Ridley and Ben Binns Front row l‐r Mark Coleman, Bianca Forte and Liliya Serazetdinova
InCrops MBA Student projects InCrops has been working with both Norwich Business School (NBS) at the University of East Anglia and the Cambridge Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge to provide an opportunity for MBA students to interact with the Enterprise Hub and its activities in the functional food sector. For NBS, InCrops defined a project for a student team that revolved around the functional drinks market, especially fruit juices and teas, and the introduction of new drink products into this competitive sector. The team of four students, Chin‐Chien Yang, Gaurav Patil, Hirozumi Hosoe and Neeraj Kharpate, provided a strategic overview of the potential market for health food drinks in the East of England, the UK and the EU. The team mapped supply chains, analysed market drivers, including legislative impacts, and identified barriers to market development. The potential for products using locally grown ingredients received particular attention, including consideration of reduction in food miles and carbon emissions, relative to imported competing products, organic premiums and a detailed financial appraisal. The final 120 page report will be used to help businesses to take advantage of the growth within this market. In Cambridge, two groups of MBA students from the Judge Business School have been helping InCrops clients assess the market potential of algal products and technologies in the food and chemical sectors. Dr Andrew Spicer from InCrops client company Spicer Biotech said, "The student team quickly identified the challenges in our fledgling market and made suggestions for our business that we have already implemented. I was impressed by each team member's level of communication, professionalism and resourcefulness and look forward to the final presentation." Henry Li from Seapercup Ltd also commented, "The students were very experienced in challenging the business model and market positions in a professional manner. It was amazing how quickly they organised the tasting interviews with a very positive turnout and all objectives were met throughout the event. I was very impressed by the enthusiasm and technical know‐how of the student team and can't wait to hear their final presentation.’ With support from Business Innovation Manager Beatrix Schlarb‐Ridley, recommendations made by the students have already been translated into actions by the companies, and InCrops has organised a further presentation of their findings at the beginning of 2011. The audience will include new business contacts of the client companies which have been developed as a result of the students’ research.
Bianca Forte, InCrops Business Innovation Manager for Bioenergy and Biofuels, reports on some of the highlights of her year which include developing a bioenergy strategy, exploring biochar and news from Rothamsted Research – the InCrops partner where Bianca spends a proportion of her time.
To contact Bianca, please email [email protected] or phone 0777 647 1810
A bioenergy strategy for the InCrops Enterprise Hub The InCrops Enterprise Hub has thirteen partners whose complementary capabilities in biosciences, agricultural research and environmental sciences could make a significant contribution to the development of low‐carbon, bioenergy technologies.
In May 2010, Bianca joined the InCrops team to help to connect this academic expertise with the needs industry. She is building on the work that was started at Renewables East and continues to collaborate with their Bioenergy Development Director Richard Parker to accelerate the development, commercialisation and adoption of new technologies.
The current economic climate and impact of the Comprehensive Spending Review on the budget for academic institutes has led some clients and partners of the Enterprise Hub to consider international opportunities. An expansion and diversification of renewable energy in heat, power and transport is seen worldwide and cooperation across industries and geographic borders might allow partners and clients to complement in‐house capabilities and access new feedstocks and funding to support the development of new technologies. Due to these reasons, InCrops has brought an independent consultant on board to develop a bioenergy strategy for the Enterprise Hub. Craig Jamieson, from Next Generation Ltd, will be working with members of the InCrops Bioenergy Steering Group and Bianca to identify areas in which InCrops clients and partners could add value to the international bioenergy innovation chain or host parts of the supply chain. It will identify opportunities in research and technology development and transfer in feedstock development / improvement, biomass pre‐treatment, conversion processes and end‐uses. The first meeting of the InCrops Bioenergy Steering Group was hosted at Rothamsted Research in November and was attended by British Sugar, the Institute of Food Research (IFR), Renewables East and Rothamsted Research. Bianca has been working closely with innovative entrepreneurs and SMEs who are involved with advanced fermentation processes, anaerobic digestion technologies, biochemical routes to biodiesel production and thermochemical conversion processes. InCrops’ clients are increasingly interested in opportunities for international collaboration and InCrops has been facilitating supply chain development and product innovation with key players from other countries. Bianca has also been collaborating with the International Agri‐Technology Centre and UK TI to organise inward missions to the East of England to introduce clients to potential investors, development partners and commercial partners from other countries.
A new Director and Chief Executive at Rothamsted Research Established over 160 years ago, Rothamsted Research is one of the oldest agricultural research centres in the world and in 2010 announced the appointment of a new Director and Chief Executive, Professor Maurice Moloney. A world‐class authority on plant cell biology, Professor Moloney has made unrivalled contributions to the fields of seed biology and its biotechnological applications in crop improvement and in using plants to produce high value proteins. He holds over 300 patents in plant biotechnology worldwide. Combining top class plant cell science with effective translation of research into successful business activity, Professor Moloney will lead future scientific developments at the institute and develop a strategy to deploy its science in meeting the challenges of sustainable food supply and bioenergy production.
Innovation Vouchers
The team at InCrops has been successful in
applications for EEDA innovation vouchers,
each worth £3,000, which will assist client
companies in innovating a product or process.
Ben Binns, InCrops
Business Innovation Manager, has helped two
companies in the construction sector with successful applications to
the fund. AcerMetric, producers of a panel
based system for housing, and Zystur, a
company that produces raw cellulose from waste streams, are using their vouchers for testing at BRE, something that is
often a sunk cost and can be expensive for SMEs.
This funding allowed both clients to increase their testing capabilities. Both sets of results will prove
invaluable for the companies as they move
towards getting their products adopted into
the market.
The commercial potential for new concepts for
crop‐derived packaging will be tested for client
Richard Wright, providing vital data to help develop
his business idea for substituting existing loose
fill packaging based on synthetic materials. Business Innovation
Manager Liliya Serazetdinova has been
providing support to Richard for his business.
Contact Business Innovation Manager Beatrix Schlarb‐Ridley on 0777 898 3612 or email b.schlarb‐[email protected]
Biochar is produced by pyrolysis of biomass in the absence, or limited amount, of oxygen. When used as a soil enhancer, it can remain stable for hundreds to thousands of years, and has been proposed as an alternative to reduce fertiliser use and therefore improve nutrient efficiency in modern agriculture. Trials in Australia and South America have shown increased crop yields when adding biochar. Studies have also noted reduced fertiliser requirements and lower nitrous oxide emissions. These benefits are expected to stimulate investment to manufacture and utilise biochar on a large scale. However, there remain major barriers to biochar production and large‐scale application of biochar to soils. Due to insufficient knowledge about the behaviour of biochar in soils and no established markets for biochar or its production, this creates a market failure and, although there are several pilot‐plant facilities around the world, there appears to be no fully commercial production capability yet established. The East of England is extremely strong in agriculture and there is a remarkable range of skills and expertise across the region, from research institutes and business community, which can be brought to demonstrate the impact of biochar in soils. The East of England produces a large amount of waste biomass from different sources such as crop, livestock, food and forestry that could be transformed into biochar and used as a soil amendment. InCrops has developed a strategic partnership with the Department of Agricultural Microbiology at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) in India. TNAU has an impressive record of research and development in sustainable agriculture and, is a leader, nationally and internationally, in biofertiliser research, development and application. Prof Santhanakrishnan, an authority on soil microbiology, biofuels and food microbiology from TNAU, is leading the research project to advance with the evaluation of biochar as an agricultural product for the UK. Following an initial visit to TNAU in May 2010 by InCrops consultant Bruce Tofield, Prof Santhanakrishnan made a return visit to the East of England in September and attended the first meeting of the InCrops Biochar Steering Group hosted at Rothamsted Research.
InCrops consultant Bruce Tofield (second left) with Prof Santhanakrishnan (far right) and TNAU colleagues
InCrops support wins EEDA Proof of Market grant for client InCrops has been supporting one of its clients in developing a business case and strategic planning for a new business exploiting use of crop‐derived material in packaging applications. Businessman Richard Wright had discussed his concept and approached InCrops to assist him in preparing a funding application. His project aims to test the commercial potential of these packaging products which offer numerous benefits as they are renewable, compostable, recyclable, are non‐toxic, can be customised and require low‐energy in processing and manufacturing. Thanks to the expertise of the InCrops team the application for Proof of Market was successful and, with this funding our client will be able to identify and evaluate possible future markets for his products and assess the carbon footprint of manufacturing, use, and disposal of crop‐derived loose fill packaging. Collaborative innovation in action With over 20 years experience in essential oils, micro SME, Barrier Biotech Ltd, manufacturers of products for animal healthcare based on plant‐derived active ingredients and producer of the UK’s first environmentally friendly herbicide, is a practical example of hi‐tech research being used in an innovative way to develop a new product in agriculture. The InCrops Enterprise Hub assisted Barrier Biotech in their project to develop novel nematicides and facilitated interactions with experts in entomology from the John Innes Centre and supported the company in a successful grant application for funding from the “Novel Approaches for Crop protection” call from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) under the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Innovation Platform. The project on Novel nematicides based upon plant oil formulations, led by Barrier Biotech Ltd, Syngenta Limited and the John Innes Centre was launched on 1 October 2010 and InCrops is providing project management, communication links between TSB and project partners, and ensuring timely delivery of the outputs. Damage caused by nematodes worldwide is estimated annually at £53‐82 billion. New formulations based on essential oils will target nematodes affecting arable root crops and substitute existing chemical nematicides coming off the market due to changes in the Plant Protection Products Directive (91/414/EEC). The new products could be used by farmers to maintain and improve yields of arable root crops following the withdrawal of 91/414/EEC approval. The essential oils used in this formulation come from sustainable sources and represent a minimal risk to the environment.
Developing the potential for biochar as an agricultural product in the UK The InCrops Enterprise Hub has been working closely with strategic partners to explore the potential of biochar as an agricultural product for the UK and to develop international links and collaborative work. Prof Santhanakrishnan of TNAU discusses
current biofertilisers work Rothamsted Research September 2010
Innovative Green Building project at UEA InCrops has played a key role in developing the concept for an innovative new green building to be based on the UEA campus with the “Exemplary Building” proposal now being given the green light from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Constructed from biorenewable and low carbon materials and utilising local supply chains, the planned 3000sqm building will enable the University to provide an outward facing business centre with enterprise and demonstration facilities for SMEs, low carbon incubation space for new companies and a host of new low carbon innovation developments. Consultants Ancer Spa are now working with InCrops Director John French on the full business case.
New plant‐derived products developed by InCrops supported industry and research partnership could replace existing nematicides.
New Industry Collaboration
Mark Goddard from British Sugar’s Operations Services Science team commenced his six month secondment with the InCrops Enterprise
Hub in September 2010. Although British Sugar has a Group Development team looking at and developing
new processes and potential revenue streams,
seconding a member of their technical staff outside the company is a new move.
For British Sugar the objective of this move is for
horizon scanning in the biorenewables sector and trying the format of this type of secondment. For both InCrops & EEDA the role is for development of
interactions between other EEDA‐funded enterprise
hubs and identifying opportunities for
development of low carbon innovations,
including interdisciplinary technology transfer and
business support.
Based at the Wissington biorefinery, Mark’s position within British Sugar involves
product and process microbiology, quality and food safety systems and
technical quality in laboratories. However,
under InCrops Mark is now one of the regions bio‐renewables network
development managers.
British Sugar’s experience in large‐scale crop processing and co‐products marketing,
and its drive for lower carbon sustainability fits
well with InCrops’ expertise in low carbon innovation
over a wide range of market sectors.
InCrops is now exploring the possibility of a demonstration project in the East of England following the second meeting of the InCrops Biochar Steering Group, hosted at the University of East Anglia in November. A number of academic partners are supporting the project and InCrops has also identified stakeholders from the business sector who are keen to be involved. There is great interest in biochar in the region’s agricultural sector and several farms have expressed interest in being involved in trials.
InCrops and Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts collaborate in Art and Innovation project During April and May 2010, the InCrops Enterprise Hub, in partnership with the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts (SCVA), initiated a pilot project to connect artists and businesses developing bio‐based/renewable materials with the purpose of raising public perception of renewable materials and providing businesses with a unique opportunity to collaborate with creative industries. Working together with SCVA and InCrops, each of the selected artists visited a participating company to view and learn about the materials used, their properties and their production. The artist then explored the potential for these materials, both in terms of the possible impact on their own creative work and in developing ideas for innovative exploitation of the materials. Businesses involved in the pilot scheme commented: “It has been a very positive experience. We have seen our products in many unfamiliar environments... We would have liked to involve the artist even more with some of our commercial projects to see if they could create artistic opportunities” The pilot project was conducted as part of the SCVA Culture of the Countryside project (http://www.cultureofthecountryside.ac.uk/) which culminated in a conference “The Countryside and Cultural Change” in early December 2010, where InCrops Director John French chaired a series of panel discussions. Following on from this very successful pilot, InCrops and SCVA are continuing to work together with artists and companies on a second phase project through to Spring 2011.
Trials success for innovative Hemp Harvester A new hemp harvester, commissioned by InCrops, is set to potentially maximise yields for regional growers. Designed and built by local agricultural engineer Stephen Eyles with funding support from EEDA, the tractor‐trailed, multi‐blade harvester went into operation this summer on over 250 has. of crop in Norfolk and Suffolk. Drawing on the expertise of growers over the last few years, the harvester is lightweight with easily folding bars which give it a considerable advantage over previous cutting methods, especially on difficult ground conditions on the Fens and Breckland areas of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, where most of the UK hemp crop is grown. InCrops Managing Director John French explains, ‘We have a number of SME clients that either grow, process or utilise hemp. As a result of our field based activity in 2009 and increasing familiarity with the supply chain it has become clear that a major impediment to the utilisation of hemp is the available harvesting technology. InCrops is actively engaged in promoting the development and increased uptake of hemp, both as a crop and also as biomaterial in numerous downstream applications. We commissioned the prototype hemp harvester to help promote the production and commercialisation of hemp products.’ Due to its low input, fast growing capabilities and adaption to most climatic and soil conditions, hemp fibres are increasingly being used in a variety of industrial applications such as the automotive and construction industries. InCrops has been working closely with industrial hemp processors and suppliers of hemp products Hemp Technology Ltd based in Halesworth, Suffolk, who will be processing the harvested crop. InCrops hosted two successful demonstrations: one on site at a farm in Norfolk and a second at Easton Agricultural College which was attended by local growers and representatives from Hemp Technology Ltd. Commenting upon the demonstration, Mike Duckett of Hemp Technology Ltd said ‘I’m very impressed with the quality of the machine that Stephen Eyles has built. For a prototype machine almost starting from nothing this is a great achievement! We’ll be working with InCrops to continue the development of the harvester comparing this with other cutting techniques for the benefit of all the stakeholders in the hemp supply chain.’
Hemp Harvester demonstration at Easton College September 2010 The harvester was also demonstrated to hemp growers in Norfolk in August and appeared in the Eastern Daily Press
If you would like to find out more about the hemp harvester prototype and other InCrops agronomy activities, contact our Agri‐Business Officer, Carlos Gonzalez‐Esquivel on 0777 645 4204 or email c.gonzalez‐[email protected]
InCrops pitches innovative sustainable products from its clients to major retailer In partnership with BRE, InCrops has been working with a major retailer who has over 21 million shoppers each week, 2000 suppliers and over 600 stores, to improve the sustainability of their multi‐million pound supply chain. Looking to replace conventional products in the packaging of their food, flowers, toys, clothing, stationery and shop‐fittings to more sustainable materials, the retailer wanted materials that were cost effective, scalable and would provide significant carbon savings from cradle to grave. InCrops contacted around 800 companies and put forward a shortlist of thirteen companies with their sustainable solutions based on cost, readiness to market, scalability, sustainability measures, and benefits to customers, with priority given to regional companies. InCrops worked closely with the selected companies to prepare the pitches of products and supplied the retailer with supplementary information about their materials and products. As a result of our pitch, the retailer invited six companies, four of which were from the East of England, to an introductory meeting with retailer’s buyers who will evaluate the products and technologies. The invited companies will then present their packaging or shop‐fitting products made with, or based on, the use of bio‐based/compostable polymers. If these products demonstrate sustainable benefit, appropriate cost, scalability and any potential for exclusivity for the retailer, successful pitches are likely to result in significant orders from the retailer. InCrops hopes that this will be the first of many sustainable supply chain initiatives with large UK companies.
“Working with the artist was very encouraging. The artist was very enthusiastic and developed the process beyond our applications… with further ideas for future applications.”
© Jacqui Jones
How could algae contribute to a greener economy in the UK? Algae have a tremendous potential to contribute to low carbon economic growth; not just in energy production, but also for bioremediation, biorefining, as a novel industrial biotechnology platform and in replacing unsustainable animal feed. InCrops Business Innovation Manager for Algal Technologies, Beatrix Schlarb‐Ridley, is currently developing the concept for an Algal Innovation Centre in the East of England and, together with companies and academic partners, has written an article addressing questions such as: Why is very little of this potential already being realised in the UK? Where should the UK start and what could the long term vision be? And how can InCrops support those who want to become Algal pioneers? If this discussion is of interest to you, please contact Beatrix on b.schlarb‐[email protected].
The full 145 page report can be accessed via the InCrops website http://www.incropsproject.co.uk/page/22.
Timber Supply Chain meeting and report presentation November 2010 Elveden Estate, Suffolk (l‐r) Dr Ed Suttie (BRE), Steve Scott (Forestry Commission), Matthew Hancock MP, John French, Lord Iveagh, Barry Haines (NBS) and Ben Binns
InCrops offices now at Watford & Peterborough Bianca Forte and Mark Goddard spend a proportion of their time working in the new InCrops office based at the Eco Innovation Centre, in Peterborough. The Eco Innovation Centre (EIC) is a high quality business incubation, meeting and networking centre for businesses and organisations operating in the environment sector. In Watford, InCrops has established an office at BRE providing a meeting place for Innovation Manager Ben Binns and for any clients that wish to meet BRE team members. The room, which is being filled with innovative examples of non‐food crop products and materials, was recently viewed by Prime Minister David Cameron when he visited BRE. The PM was very interested in finding out more about these products and how they are being applied across a range of industry sectors. Any clients looking to have a meeting at BRE or who wish to showcase their innovations should contact Ben by email at [email protected] or call 0794 715 7707.
BRE chief executive Peter Bonfield
welcomes the Prime Minister David
Cameron in the InCrops BRE office on a recent visit
to Watford
Biopolymers and biolubricants provide significant economic opportunities for business growth. InCrops Business Innovation Manager Liliya Serazetdinova discusses two of the events InCrops has delivered for those working in these sectors. If you would like to contact Liliya, you can email her on [email protected] or call 0777 630 1718
Biopolymers in Sports Event On 20 April 2010, InCrops hosted an event on Biomaterials in Sports at Essex University. The event featured representatives from companies developing plant‐based renewable materials for applications in the sports and leisure industry. Presentations and demonstrations of products and materials came from a variety of companies and included the use of renewable biopolymers from Merquinsa and Arkema Group, bamboo by RAW Bamboo Bikes, plant fibres by CelluComp Ltd, and a stamina‐boosting beetroot juice from James White Drinks Ltd. Throughout the event attendees were also given a unique opportunity to visit the Centre for Sports and Exercise Science at the University of Essex and were able to learn about the facilities for testing sports gear and equipment. The aim of the event was to inform businesses and industries associated with sports and outdoor activities about the range of available bio‐based materials such as biopolymers, natural fibres, biocomposites and nutraceuticals, and bring them together: from those within the sports supply chain; manufacturers and developers, to sports professionals. InCrops organised this event because the sports sector is an early adopter of new materials and there are emerging drivers for green materials in sport. With a world market of £81bn and London 2012 pushing the sustainable agenda, significant commercial opportunities will be open for companies supplying sports clothing, equipment and functional food based on renewables. Issues discussed included the public’s perception of bio‐derived materials and the need for legislation that will encourage and help manufacturers to adopt renewable materials. The matter of cost of the final product was also debated and whether this was a factor that needed to be considered in the case of high performance sportswear. Conclusions drawn from the event were that the performance properties for sports gear could definitely be met through renewable materials, but this needs further work to improve the materials and technologies. More importantly, the issues of end‐of life and recyclability are the key drivers for adopting these materials in the sports industry. In order to bring renewable materials on to the mainstream sports market, we must first evaluate and recognise the performance of products and make such products affordable.
Mizuno running shoe made by Arkema with renewable biopolymers Picture courtesy of Arkema
Oiling a Green Economy On 16 Nov 2010, InCrops hosted a Networking Event on Biolubricants at the Keystone Innovation Centre in Thetford. Cliff Lea from the multinational ‘Fuchs Lubricants’ gave an overview of the history of biolubricants use and highlighted the vast improvements in performance made over the last 10 years. He also presented case studies of their use, including the building of the Eden Project. Simon Nash from “Green Oil UK Ltd” shared his experiences in producing his eco‐award winning bicycle biolubricants. The presentation was followed by a lively discussion on the pros and cons of using biolubricants and explored the barriers to uptake. The take‐away message was that Biolubricants have undergone significant improvement in performance and cost since they were first introduced 30 years ago, but the message has not yet reached machine manufacturers and operators. The bad publicity created with the unsatisfactory performance of early generation biolubricants has prohibited their introduction more widely. What is needed now? More education, more demonstration projects and more tests to help spread the message on the superior performance of current biolubricants, and to ensure there are no warranty issues. To view the presentations and a summary of the discussion, please visit: http://www.incropsproject.co.uk/page/21.
Building knowledge clusters for business exploration is just one of our activities. Mark Coleman, Business Innovation Manager for Functional Food and Health Products, shows how partnership working and collaboration is reaping results for business clients and academic partners. To contact Mark, email [email protected] or call 0797 726 3640.
Functional food development InCrops is contributing to the development of the functional foods sector in the region in a number of ways. In July we held a Functional Food for Thought event, at the Maltings in Ely, which attracted more than 25 participants involved in growing and/or processing healthy foods. At the event InCrops discussed its research into potential new berry crops and crops that represent significant diversification opportunities for businesses in the regional functional food supply chains. As a result of the event, we are now supporting several growers to initiate the inclusion of new crops in their portfolio. InCrops is also working with client companies and academic partners to investigate biological activities of foods and food components that may have benefits to human health. The initial focus is on berries and allium vegetables .These foods, or compounds extracted from them, will be supplied by InCrops client companies and will be tested in a variety of in vitro cell and tissue models of human diseases by scientists at the School of Biological Sciences and the School of Pharmacy at the University of East Anglia. InCrops has, together with the School of Biological Sciences, UEA, funded the purchase of a gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) machine that will form a part of a sophisticated analytical facility available to InCrops clients. This opportunity to obtain cost‐competitive compositional analysis and high‐quality scientific evidence of bioactivity will provide businesses with a significant strategic advantage and a platform on which to develop innovative high‐value products.
Sea Buckthorn plants arrive in England for variety trials and commercial development Sea Buckthorn (SBT, Hippophae rhamnoides) is a hardy shrub that grows between 2 and 4 metres tall. It is used to prevent soil erosion, enhance wildlife, reclaim land and also as a farm shelterbelt. Its berries are classified as a “functional food”, with very high levels of vitamins C and carotenoids, antioxidants and unusual unsaturated fatty acids. It is a drought and saline tolerant crop, hence suitable for climate change threatened coastal areas in the East of England. Although SBT grows wild in the UK, it has never been grown as a commercial crop (compared to China, where there are over 2 million hectares of SBT). InCrops has established a collaboration agreement with the Lisavenko Horticultural Research Institute, Russia, which has developed SBT varieties for over 60 years. The Institute has supplied InCrops with 6,000 plants from some of the most recent varieties, which will be put into trials across four sites in the region, including the farms of three InCrops client companies and the Forestry Commission. The plants arrived in England in early October 2010 and will be kept in glasshouses over the winter for Spring 2011 planting. InCrops is also supporting local businesses in developing new SBT based products, the first of which are expected to be in the market by June 2011.
Timber Supply Chains With support from EEDA, research into the East of England Timber supply chains was conducted by InCrops with assistance from BRE, the Forestry Commission and Norwich Business School (NBS). At an initial stakeholder meeting held at Stanton Downham near Thetford, over 30 private sector industry representatives ranging from contractors, millers, timber merchants, foresters, social housing providers and landowners, gave valuable insight and feedback which was added to the final report. Outlining the opportunities in using local timber in construction, the report concluded that there is a potential East of England timber market of £100m and that, if used in construction, this can lock up 432,000 tonnes of embodied CO2 by 2020 ‐ the equivalent of 7% of Norfolk’s emissions. In late November 2010 InCrops hosted a breakfast meeting in Thetford with representatives from the construction industry, including building contractors, timber frame manufacturers and regional housing associations with the objective to understand how more East of England timber could be used in construction. The meeting resulted in the agreement to set up a consortium to develop a house building project using local materials with a focus on timber from the East of England. The final report and expression of business support was handed over in a productive meeting with the MP for West Suffolk, Matthew Hancock, in which he promised to deliver the findings to the coalition government at the highest level.
Innovative plant based materials and low carbon supply chains are vital elements for the built environment to meet ever tighter carbon targets. InCrops has been working across the region with partners and business to stimulate discussion and action. Business Innovation Manager for the Built Environment Ben Binns explains the current activity:
Sea Buckthorn being picked by hand in Siberia
To contact Ben Binns, email [email protected] or call 0794 715 7707
Oiling a Green Economy On 16 Nov 2010, InCrops hosted a Networking Event on Biolubricants at the Keystone Innovation Centre in Thetford. Cliff Lea from the multinational ‘Fuchs Lubricants’ gave an overview of the history of biolubricants use and highlighted the vast improvements in performance made over the last 10 years. He also presented case studies of their use, including the building of the Eden Project. Simon Nash from “Green Oil UK Ltd” shared his experiences in producing his eco‐award winning bicycle biolubricants. The presentation was followed by a lively discussion on the pros and cons of using biolubricants and explored the barriers to uptake. The take‐away message was that Biolubricants have undergone significant improvement in performance and cost since they were first introduced 30 years ago, but the message has not yet reached machine manufacturers and operators. The bad publicity created with the unsatisfactory performance of early generation biolubricants has prohibited their introduction more widely. What is needed now? More education, more demonstration projects and more tests to help spread the message on the superior performance of current biolubricants, and to ensure there are no warranty issues. To view the presentations and a summary of the discussion, please visit: http://www.incropsproject.co.uk/page/21.
Building knowledge clusters for business exploration is just one of our activities. Mark Coleman, Business Innovation Manager for Functional Food and Health Products, shows how partnership working and collaboration is reaping results for business clients and academic partners. To contact Mark, email [email protected] or call 0797 726 3640.
Functional food development InCrops is contributing to the development of the functional foods sector in the region in a number of ways. In July we held a Functional Food for Thought event, at the Maltings in Ely, which attracted more than 25 participants involved in growing and/or processing healthy foods. At the event InCrops discussed its research into potential new berry crops and crops that represent significant diversification opportunities for businesses in the regional functional food supply chains. As a result of the event, we are now supporting several growers to initiate the inclusion of new crops in their portfolio. InCrops is also working with client companies and academic partners to investigate biological activities of foods and food components that may have benefits to human health. The initial focus is on berries and allium vegetables .These foods, or compounds extracted from them, will be supplied by InCrops client companies and will be tested in a variety of in vitro cell and tissue models of human diseases by scientists at the School of Biological Sciences and the School of Pharmacy at the University of East Anglia. InCrops has, together with the School of Biological Sciences, UEA, funded the purchase of a gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) machine that will form a part of a sophisticated analytical facility available to InCrops clients. This opportunity to obtain cost‐competitive compositional analysis and high‐quality scientific evidence of bioactivity will provide businesses with a significant strategic advantage and a platform on which to develop innovative high‐value products.
Sea Buckthorn plants arrive in England for variety trials and commercial development Sea Buckthorn (SBT, Hippophae rhamnoides) is a hardy shrub that grows between 2 and 4 metres tall. It is used to prevent soil erosion, enhance wildlife, reclaim land and also as a farm shelterbelt. Its berries are classified as a “functional food”, with very high levels of vitamins C and carotenoids, antioxidants and unusual unsaturated fatty acids. It is a drought and saline tolerant crop, hence suitable for climate change threatened coastal areas in the East of England. Although SBT grows wild in the UK, it has never been grown as a commercial crop (compared to China, where there are over 2 million hectares of SBT). InCrops has established a collaboration agreement with the Lisavenko Horticultural Research Institute, Russia, which has developed SBT varieties for over 60 years. The Institute has supplied InCrops with 6,000 plants from some of the most recent varieties, which will be put into trials across four sites in the region, including the farms of three InCrops client companies and the Forestry Commission. The plants arrived in England in early October 2010 and will be kept in glasshouses over the winter for Spring 2011 planting. InCrops is also supporting local businesses in developing new SBT based products, the first of which are expected to be in the market by June 2011.
Timber Supply Chains With support from EEDA, research into the East of England Timber supply chains was conducted by InCrops with assistance from BRE, the Forestry Commission and Norwich Business School (NBS). At an initial stakeholder meeting held at Stanton Downham near Thetford, over 30 private sector industry representatives ranging from contractors, millers, timber merchants, foresters, social housing providers and landowners, gave valuable insight and feedback which was added to the final report. Outlining the opportunities in using local timber in construction, the report concluded that there is a potential East of England timber market of £100m and that, if used in construction, this can lock up 432,000 tonnes of embodied CO2 by 2020 ‐ the equivalent of 7% of Norfolk’s emissions. In late November 2010 InCrops hosted a breakfast meeting in Thetford with representatives from the construction industry, including building contractors, timber frame manufacturers and regional housing associations with the objective to understand how more East of England timber could be used in construction. The meeting resulted in the agreement to set up a consortium to develop a house building project using local materials with a focus on timber from the East of England. The final report and expression of business support was handed over in a productive meeting with the MP for West Suffolk, Matthew Hancock, in which he promised to deliver the findings to the coalition government at the highest level.
Innovative plant based materials and low carbon supply chains are vital elements for the built environment to meet ever tighter carbon targets. InCrops has been working across the region with partners and business to stimulate discussion and action. Business Innovation Manager for the Built Environment Ben Binns explains the current activity:
Sea Buckthorn being picked by hand in Siberia
To contact Ben Binns, email [email protected] or call 0794 715 7707
The full 145 page report can be accessed via the InCrops website http://www.incropsproject.co.uk/page/22.
Timber Supply Chain meeting and report presentation November 2010 Elveden Estate, Suffolk (l‐r) Dr Ed Suttie (BRE), Steve Scott (Forestry Commission), Matthew Hancock MP, John French, Lord Iveagh, Barry Haines (NBS) and Ben Binns
InCrops offices now at Watford & Peterborough Bianca Forte and Mark Goddard spend a proportion of their time working in the new InCrops office based at the Eco Innovation Centre, in Peterborough. The Eco Innovation Centre (EIC) is a high quality business incubation, meeting and networking centre for businesses and organisations operating in the environment sector. In Watford, InCrops has established an office at BRE providing a meeting place for Innovation Manager Ben Binns and for any clients that wish to meet BRE team members. The room, which is being filled with innovative examples of non‐food crop products and materials, was recently viewed by Prime Minister David Cameron when he visited BRE. The PM was very interested in finding out more about these products and how they are being applied across a range of industry sectors. Any clients looking to have a meeting at BRE or who wish to showcase their innovations should contact Ben by email at [email protected] or call 0794 715 7707.
BRE chief executive Peter Bonfield
welcomes the Prime Minister David
Cameron in the InCrops BRE office on a recent visit
to Watford
Biopolymers and biolubricants provide significant economic opportunities for business growth. InCrops Business Innovation Manager Liliya Serazetdinova discusses two of the events InCrops has delivered for those working in these sectors. If you would like to contact Liliya, you can email her on [email protected] or call 0777 630 1718
Biopolymers in Sports Event On 20 April 2010, InCrops hosted an event on Biomaterials in Sports at Essex University. The event featured representatives from companies developing plant‐based renewable materials for applications in the sports and leisure industry. Presentations and demonstrations of products and materials came from a variety of companies and included the use of renewable biopolymers from Merquinsa and Arkema Group, bamboo by RAW Bamboo Bikes, plant fibres by CelluComp Ltd, and a stamina‐boosting beetroot juice from James White Drinks Ltd. Throughout the event attendees were also given a unique opportunity to visit the Centre for Sports and Exercise Science at the University of Essex and were able to learn about the facilities for testing sports gear and equipment. The aim of the event was to inform businesses and industries associated with sports and outdoor activities about the range of available bio‐based materials such as biopolymers, natural fibres, biocomposites and nutraceuticals, and bring them together: from those within the sports supply chain; manufacturers and developers, to sports professionals. InCrops organised this event because the sports sector is an early adopter of new materials and there are emerging drivers for green materials in sport. With a world market of £81bn and London 2012 pushing the sustainable agenda, significant commercial opportunities will be open for companies supplying sports clothing, equipment and functional food based on renewables. Issues discussed included the public’s perception of bio‐derived materials and the need for legislation that will encourage and help manufacturers to adopt renewable materials. The matter of cost of the final product was also debated and whether this was a factor that needed to be considered in the case of high performance sportswear. Conclusions drawn from the event were that the performance properties for sports gear could definitely be met through renewable materials, but this needs further work to improve the materials and technologies. More importantly, the issues of end‐of life and recyclability are the key drivers for adopting these materials in the sports industry. In order to bring renewable materials on to the mainstream sports market, we must first evaluate and recognise the performance of products and make such products affordable.
Mizuno running shoe made by Arkema with renewable biopolymers Picture courtesy of Arkema
InCrops and Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts collaborate in Art and Innovation project During April and May 2010, the InCrops Enterprise Hub, in partnership with the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts (SCVA), initiated a pilot project to connect artists and businesses developing bio‐based/renewable materials with the purpose of raising public perception of renewable materials and providing businesses with a unique opportunity to collaborate with creative industries. Working together with SCVA and InCrops, each of the selected artists visited a participating company to view and learn about the materials used, their properties and their production. The artist then explored the potential for these materials, both in terms of the possible impact on their own creative work and in developing ideas for innovative exploitation of the materials. Businesses involved in the pilot scheme commented: “It has been a very positive experience. We have seen our products in many unfamiliar environments... We would have liked to involve the artist even more with some of our commercial projects to see if they could create artistic opportunities” The pilot project was conducted as part of the SCVA Culture of the Countryside project (http://www.cultureofthecountryside.ac.uk/) which culminated in a conference “The Countryside and Cultural Change” in early December 2010, where InCrops Director John French chaired a series of panel discussions. Following on from this very successful pilot, InCrops and SCVA are continuing to work together with artists and companies on a second phase project through to Spring 2011.
Trials success for innovative Hemp Harvester A new hemp harvester, commissioned by InCrops, is set to potentially maximise yields for regional growers. Designed and built by local agricultural engineer Stephen Eyles with funding support from EEDA, the tractor‐trailed, multi‐blade harvester went into operation this summer on over 250 has. of crop in Norfolk and Suffolk. Drawing on the expertise of growers over the last few years, the harvester is lightweight with easily folding bars which give it a considerable advantage over previous cutting methods, especially on difficult ground conditions on the Fens and Breckland areas of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, where most of the UK hemp crop is grown. InCrops Managing Director John French explains, ‘We have a number of SME clients that either grow, process or utilise hemp. As a result of our field based activity in 2009 and increasing familiarity with the supply chain it has become clear that a major impediment to the utilisation of hemp is the available harvesting technology. InCrops is actively engaged in promoting the development and increased uptake of hemp, both as a crop and also as biomaterial in numerous downstream applications. We commissioned the prototype hemp harvester to help promote the production and commercialisation of hemp products.’ Due to its low input, fast growing capabilities and adaption to most climatic and soil conditions, hemp fibres are increasingly being used in a variety of industrial applications such as the automotive and construction industries. InCrops has been working closely with industrial hemp processors and suppliers of hemp products Hemp Technology Ltd based in Halesworth, Suffolk, who will be processing the harvested crop. InCrops hosted two successful demonstrations: one on site at a farm in Norfolk and a second at Easton Agricultural College which was attended by local growers and representatives from Hemp Technology Ltd. Commenting upon the demonstration, Mike Duckett of Hemp Technology Ltd said ‘I’m very impressed with the quality of the machine that Stephen Eyles has built. For a prototype machine almost starting from nothing this is a great achievement! We’ll be working with InCrops to continue the development of the harvester comparing this with other cutting techniques for the benefit of all the stakeholders in the hemp supply chain.’
Hemp Harvester demonstration at Easton College September 2010 The harvester was also demonstrated to hemp growers in Norfolk in August and appeared in the Eastern Daily Press
If you would like to find out more about the hemp harvester prototype and other InCrops agronomy activities, contact our Agri‐Business Officer, Carlos Gonzalez‐Esquivel on 0777 645 4204 or email c.gonzalez‐[email protected]
InCrops pitches innovative sustainable products from its clients to major retailer In partnership with BRE, InCrops has been working with a major retailer who has over 21 million shoppers each week, 2000 suppliers and over 600 stores, to improve the sustainability of their multi‐million pound supply chain. Looking to replace conventional products in the packaging of their food, flowers, toys, clothing, stationery and shop‐fittings to more sustainable materials, the retailer wanted materials that were cost effective, scalable and would provide significant carbon savings from cradle to grave. InCrops contacted around 800 companies and put forward a shortlist of thirteen companies with their sustainable solutions based on cost, readiness to market, scalability, sustainability measures, and benefits to customers, with priority given to regional companies. InCrops worked closely with the selected companies to prepare the pitches of products and supplied the retailer with supplementary information about their materials and products. As a result of our pitch, the retailer invited six companies, four of which were from the East of England, to an introductory meeting with retailer’s buyers who will evaluate the products and technologies. The invited companies will then present their packaging or shop‐fitting products made with, or based on, the use of bio‐based/compostable polymers. If these products demonstrate sustainable benefit, appropriate cost, scalability and any potential for exclusivity for the retailer, successful pitches are likely to result in significant orders from the retailer. InCrops hopes that this will be the first of many sustainable supply chain initiatives with large UK companies.
“Working with the artist was very encouraging. The artist was very enthusiastic and developed the process beyond our applications… with further ideas for future applications.”
© Jacqui Jones
How could algae contribute to a greener economy in the UK? Algae have a tremendous potential to contribute to low carbon economic growth; not just in energy production, but also for bioremediation, biorefining, as a novel industrial biotechnology platform and in replacing unsustainable animal feed. InCrops Business Innovation Manager for Algal Technologies, Beatrix Schlarb‐Ridley, is currently developing the concept for an Algal Innovation Centre in the East of England and, together with companies and academic partners, has written an article addressing questions such as: Why is very little of this potential already being realised in the UK? Where should the UK start and what could the long term vision be? And how can InCrops support those who want to become Algal pioneers? If this discussion is of interest to you, please contact Beatrix on b.schlarb‐[email protected].
Biochar is produced by pyrolysis of biomass in the absence, or limited amount, of oxygen. When used as a soil enhancer, it can remain stable for hundreds to thousands of years, and has been proposed as an alternative to reduce fertiliser use and therefore improve nutrient efficiency in modern agriculture. Trials in Australia and South America have shown increased crop yields when adding biochar. Studies have also noted reduced fertiliser requirements and lower nitrous oxide emissions. These benefits are expected to stimulate investment to manufacture and utilise biochar on a large scale. However, there remain major barriers to biochar production and large‐scale application of biochar to soils. Due to insufficient knowledge about the behaviour of biochar in soils and no established markets for biochar or its production, this creates a market failure and, although there are several pilot‐plant facilities around the world, there appears to be no fully commercial production capability yet established. The East of England is extremely strong in agriculture and there is a remarkable range of skills and expertise across the region, from research institutes and business community, which can be brought to demonstrate the impact of biochar in soils. The East of England produces a large amount of waste biomass from different sources such as crop, livestock, food and forestry that could be transformed into biochar and used as a soil amendment. InCrops has developed a strategic partnership with the Department of Agricultural Microbiology at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) in India. TNAU has an impressive record of research and development in sustainable agriculture and, is a leader, nationally and internationally, in biofertiliser research, development and application. Prof Santhanakrishnan, an authority on soil microbiology, biofuels and food microbiology from TNAU, is leading the research project to advance with the evaluation of biochar as an agricultural product for the UK. Following an initial visit to TNAU in May 2010 by InCrops consultant Bruce Tofield, Prof Santhanakrishnan made a return visit to the East of England in September and attended the first meeting of the InCrops Biochar Steering Group hosted at Rothamsted Research.
InCrops consultant Bruce Tofield (second left) with Prof Santhanakrishnan (far right) and TNAU colleagues
InCrops support wins EEDA Proof of Market grant for client InCrops has been supporting one of its clients in developing a business case and strategic planning for a new business exploiting use of crop‐derived material in packaging applications. Businessman Richard Wright had discussed his concept and approached InCrops to assist him in preparing a funding application. His project aims to test the commercial potential of these packaging products which offer numerous benefits as they are renewable, compostable, recyclable, are non‐toxic, can be customised and require low‐energy in processing and manufacturing. Thanks to the expertise of the InCrops team the application for Proof of Market was successful and, with this funding our client will be able to identify and evaluate possible future markets for his products and assess the carbon footprint of manufacturing, use, and disposal of crop‐derived loose fill packaging. Collaborative innovation in action With over 20 years experience in essential oils, micro SME, Barrier Biotech Ltd, manufacturers of products for animal healthcare based on plant‐derived active ingredients and producer of the UK’s first environmentally friendly herbicide, is a practical example of hi‐tech research being used in an innovative way to develop a new product in agriculture. The InCrops Enterprise Hub assisted Barrier Biotech in their project to develop novel nematicides and facilitated interactions with experts in entomology from the John Innes Centre and supported the company in a successful grant application for funding from the “Novel Approaches for Crop protection” call from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) under the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Innovation Platform. The project on Novel nematicides based upon plant oil formulations, led by Barrier Biotech Ltd, Syngenta Limited and the John Innes Centre was launched on 1 October 2010 and InCrops is providing project management, communication links between TSB and project partners, and ensuring timely delivery of the outputs. Damage caused by nematodes worldwide is estimated annually at £53‐82 billion. New formulations based on essential oils will target nematodes affecting arable root crops and substitute existing chemical nematicides coming off the market due to changes in the Plant Protection Products Directive (91/414/EEC). The new products could be used by farmers to maintain and improve yields of arable root crops following the withdrawal of 91/414/EEC approval. The essential oils used in this formulation come from sustainable sources and represent a minimal risk to the environment.
Developing the potential for biochar as an agricultural product in the UK The InCrops Enterprise Hub has been working closely with strategic partners to explore the potential of biochar as an agricultural product for the UK and to develop international links and collaborative work. Prof Santhanakrishnan of TNAU discusses
current biofertilisers work Rothamsted Research September 2010
Innovative Green Building project at UEA InCrops has played a key role in developing the concept for an innovative new green building to be based on the UEA campus with the “Exemplary Building” proposal now being given the green light from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Constructed from biorenewable and low carbon materials and utilising local supply chains, the planned 3000sqm building will enable the University to provide an outward facing business centre with enterprise and demonstration facilities for SMEs, low carbon incubation space for new companies and a host of new low carbon innovation developments. Consultants Ancer Spa are now working with InCrops Director John French on the full business case.
New plant‐derived products developed by InCrops supported industry and research partnership could replace existing nematicides.
New Industry Collaboration
Mark Goddard from British Sugar’s Operations Services Science team commenced his six month secondment with the InCrops Enterprise
Hub in September 2010. Although British Sugar has a Group Development team looking at and developing
new processes and potential revenue streams,
seconding a member of their technical staff outside the company is a new move.
For British Sugar the objective of this move is for
horizon scanning in the biorenewables sector and trying the format of this type of secondment. For both InCrops & EEDA the role is for development of
interactions between other EEDA‐funded enterprise
hubs and identifying opportunities for
development of low carbon innovations,
including interdisciplinary technology transfer and
business support.
Based at the Wissington biorefinery, Mark’s position within British Sugar involves
product and process microbiology, quality and food safety systems and
technical quality in laboratories. However,
under InCrops Mark is now one of the regions bio‐renewables network
development managers.
British Sugar’s experience in large‐scale crop processing and co‐products marketing,
and its drive for lower carbon sustainability fits
well with InCrops’ expertise in low carbon innovation
over a wide range of market sectors.
InCrops is now exploring the possibility of a demonstration project in the East of England following the second meeting of the InCrops Biochar Steering Group, hosted at the University of East Anglia in November. A number of academic partners are supporting the project and InCrops has also identified stakeholders from the business sector who are keen to be involved. There is great interest in biochar in the region’s agricultural sector and several farms have expressed interest in being involved in trials.
InCrops MBA Student projects InCrops has been working with both Norwich Business School (NBS) at the University of East Anglia and the Cambridge Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge to provide an opportunity for MBA students to interact with the Enterprise Hub and its activities in the functional food sector. For NBS, InCrops defined a project for a student team that revolved around the functional drinks market, especially fruit juices and teas, and the introduction of new drink products into this competitive sector. The team of four students, Chin‐Chien Yang, Gaurav Patil, Hirozumi Hosoe and Neeraj Kharpate, provided a strategic overview of the potential market for health food drinks in the East of England, the UK and the EU. The team mapped supply chains, analysed market drivers, including legislative impacts, and identified barriers to market development. The potential for products using locally grown ingredients received particular attention, including consideration of reduction in food miles and carbon emissions, relative to imported competing products, organic premiums and a detailed financial appraisal. The final 120 page report will be used to help businesses to take advantage of the growth within this market. In Cambridge, two groups of MBA students from the Judge Business School have been helping InCrops clients assess the market potential of algal products and technologies in the food and chemical sectors. Dr Andrew Spicer from InCrops client company Spicer Biotech said, "The student team quickly identified the challenges in our fledgling market and made suggestions for our business that we have already implemented. I was impressed by each team member's level of communication, professionalism and resourcefulness and look forward to the final presentation." Henry Li from Seapercup Ltd also commented, "The students were very experienced in challenging the business model and market positions in a professional manner. It was amazing how quickly they organised the tasting interviews with a very positive turnout and all objectives were met throughout the event. I was very impressed by the enthusiasm and technical know‐how of the student team and can't wait to hear their final presentation.’ With support from Business Innovation Manager Beatrix Schlarb‐Ridley, recommendations made by the students have already been translated into actions by the companies, and InCrops has organised a further presentation of their findings at the beginning of 2011. The audience will include new business contacts of the client companies which have been developed as a result of the students’ research.
Bianca Forte, InCrops Business Innovation Manager for Bioenergy and Biofuels, reports on some of the highlights of her year which include developing a bioenergy strategy, exploring biochar and news from Rothamsted Research – the InCrops partner where Bianca spends a proportion of her time.
To contact Bianca, please email [email protected] or phone 0777 647 1810
A bioenergy strategy for the InCrops Enterprise Hub The InCrops Enterprise Hub has thirteen partners whose complementary capabilities in biosciences, agricultural research and environmental sciences could make a significant contribution to the development of low‐carbon, bioenergy technologies.
In May 2010, Bianca joined the InCrops team to help to connect this academic expertise with the needs industry. She is building on the work that was started at Renewables East and continues to collaborate with their Bioenergy Development Director Richard Parker to accelerate the development, commercialisation and adoption of new technologies.
The current economic climate and impact of the Comprehensive Spending Review on the budget for academic institutes has led some clients and partners of the Enterprise Hub to consider international opportunities. An expansion and diversification of renewable energy in heat, power and transport is seen worldwide and cooperation across industries and geographic borders might allow partners and clients to complement in‐house capabilities and access new feedstocks and funding to support the development of new technologies. Due to these reasons, InCrops has brought an independent consultant on board to develop a bioenergy strategy for the Enterprise Hub. Craig Jamieson, from Next Generation Ltd, will be working with members of the InCrops Bioenergy Steering Group and Bianca to identify areas in which InCrops clients and partners could add value to the international bioenergy innovation chain or host parts of the supply chain. It will identify opportunities in research and technology development and transfer in feedstock development / improvement, biomass pre‐treatment, conversion processes and end‐uses. The first meeting of the InCrops Bioenergy Steering Group was hosted at Rothamsted Research in November and was attended by British Sugar, the Institute of Food Research (IFR), Renewables East and Rothamsted Research. Bianca has been working closely with innovative entrepreneurs and SMEs who are involved with advanced fermentation processes, anaerobic digestion technologies, biochemical routes to biodiesel production and thermochemical conversion processes. InCrops’ clients are increasingly interested in opportunities for international collaboration and InCrops has been facilitating supply chain development and product innovation with key players from other countries. Bianca has also been collaborating with the International Agri‐Technology Centre and UK TI to organise inward missions to the East of England to introduce clients to potential investors, development partners and commercial partners from other countries.
A new Director and Chief Executive at Rothamsted Research Established over 160 years ago, Rothamsted Research is one of the oldest agricultural research centres in the world and in 2010 announced the appointment of a new Director and Chief Executive, Professor Maurice Moloney. A world‐class authority on plant cell biology, Professor Moloney has made unrivalled contributions to the fields of seed biology and its biotechnological applications in crop improvement and in using plants to produce high value proteins. He holds over 300 patents in plant biotechnology worldwide. Combining top class plant cell science with effective translation of research into successful business activity, Professor Moloney will lead future scientific developments at the institute and develop a strategy to deploy its science in meeting the challenges of sustainable food supply and bioenergy production.
Innovation Vouchers
The team at InCrops has been successful in
applications for EEDA innovation vouchers,
each worth £3,000, which will assist client
companies in innovating a product or process.
Ben Binns, InCrops
Business Innovation Manager, has helped two
companies in the construction sector with successful applications to
the fund. AcerMetric, producers of a panel
based system for housing, and Zystur, a
company that produces raw cellulose from waste streams, are using their vouchers for testing at BRE, something that is
often a sunk cost and can be expensive for SMEs.
This funding allowed both clients to increase their testing capabilities. Both sets of results will prove
invaluable for the companies as they move
towards getting their products adopted into
the market.
The commercial potential for new concepts for
crop‐derived packaging will be tested for client
Richard Wright, providing vital data to help develop
his business idea for substituting existing loose
fill packaging based on synthetic materials. Business Innovation
Manager Liliya Serazetdinova has been
providing support to Richard for his business.
Contact Business Innovation Manager Beatrix Schlarb‐Ridley on 0777 898 3612 or email b.schlarb‐[email protected]
www.incropsproject.co.uk
Contact us:
Contact details for the
InCrops Business Innovation
Managers can be found in
our Newsletter or on the
Contacts section of our
website:
www.incropsproject.co.uk
If you have a general
enquiry, please contact the
main InCrops office on
01603 591765 or email us:
With thanks to all the
businesses, partners,
funders and other bodies
who have helped to make
the InCrops Enterprise Hub
a success in 2010
About InCrops
Based at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, the InCrops Enterprise Hub is a European funded, not for profit company, with a partnership of research, public sector and corporate partners who all work collaboratively to develop the commercial potential of innovative crops.
Working within the theme of low carbon economic growth, the InCrops Enterprise Hub is specially designed to stimulate the economy in the area of green innovation and green technology development ‐ an important sector for the future development of the UK. This year has seen the InCrops Enterprise Hub continue to build and develop its profile with many exciting new projects and developments to lead us into the year ahead.
In October, The InCrops Enterprise Hub was announced the winner of the ‘Low Carbon Innovation’ category at the Creating Futures Awards. Hosted by EEDA, GO‐East and the East of England Local Government Association (EELGA) in Ely, the ceremony acknowledged outstanding achievements in European projects with the Low Carbon Innovation award recognising InCrops’ outstanding level of innovation in pursuit of aiding low carbon business operations. Author and journalist Lucy Siegle presented the ceremony and her thought‐provoking presentation on ecological and ethical lifestyle matters identified the need to develop successful innovative solutions to encourage sustainable ‘green’ business practice.
Earlier this year, InCrops was pleased to announce the appointment of Marie Francis as Chair of InCrops Ltd, the UEA operating company that runs the Enterprise Hub. Marie brings to InCrops a wealth of experience within the agri‐business sector with connections amongst various research and commercial organisations across the East of England. She also has strong links in the agricultural and food industry and was awarded an OBE in 2004 for her services to agriculture and the rural economy. InCrops is delighted to have the opportunity to work with Marie during the next important phase of development. Since her appointment she has been instrumental in developing an InCrops submission on Innovation in EU Agriculture to the House of Lords, evidence of which can be accessed via www.parliament.uk.
December 2010this issue:
Director’s WelcomeBioenergy News
Agronomy and ConstructionBiopolymers and Biolubricants
Functional FoodsFunding Support
John French accepting the award from host Lucy Siegle
Marie Francis OBE Chair of InCrops Ltd
What we do • provide up to 14 hours of FREE specialist business
support to businesses and entrepreneurs based in the East of England
• help to develop collaborative, industry‐led projects with academic partners
• generate new joint projects across academic partners • connect regional researchers and companies with R&D partners,
investors and clients nationally and in other countries
What we cover Bioenergy and biofuels ● Biopolymers ● Biocomposites ● Biorefineries and biopharma ● Green built environment ● Functional foods and health products ● New consumer markets ● Agronomy and crop improvement
Who we are The InCrops Enterprise Hub is a distributed structure to support low carbon business growth by developing the markets for the derivatives of alternative and non‐food crops. The Hub draws upon the combined expertise of world‐class research centres.
InCrops Business Innovation Managers Back row l‐r Beatrix Schlarb‐Ridley and Ben Binns Front row l‐r Mark Coleman, Bianca Forte and Liliya Serazetdinova