INNOVATION
Understanding Innovation
in the Food System
Why is innovation important in food and farming? How can investing in innovation drive regional economic growth?
WHAT IS INNOVATION?
An innovation is a new or improved product, service, or process, or a combination of these, that differs significantly from a business’s previous activity.​
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Investing in innovation could lead to improved resource efficiency, productivity, investment, or resilience. It can bring faster scale-up, reduced risk, technology, and business evolution.
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How We Support Innovation
Innovation doesn't happen by chance – it needs the right conditions to thrive. By focusing on the challenges and opportunities unique to our region and sector, we can create the right conditions for de-risking and accelerating innovation.
Provided over £3m in grants for innovation and R&D.
Created 262 partnerships between industry and academia.
Research Capabilities
Invested +£8.6m in cutting-edge facilities and academic expertise.
How To
Do innovation well
What makes a good innovation project? And how can we improve the standard of innovation in the food system? We evaluated over 70 projects funded by Growing Kent & Medway to compare the characteristics of great innovation. An interactive dashboard is available to highlight these key features.
