How To Do Innovation Well
- Growing Kent & Medway
- Jan 13
- 4 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
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 below to explore these key features.
Evaluating Successful Innovation
Innovation projects come with risks - not all projects will be successful. But some steps can be taken to give your project the best chance of success.
At Growing Kent & Medway, we’ve invested over £4 million in innovation grants, funding more than 100 projects across the region. We commissioned an objective analysis of these diverse projects to identify what factors can create the best innovation outcomes in the food system value chain.
Our analysis identified a range of qualities and attributes that underpin successful innovation projects. Allowance was given to the natural seasonality and variability of R&D within food and farming.
Projects led by experienced, collaborative teams from diverse fields and areas of expertise achieved stronger outcomes. Where environmental sustainability targets had been directly linked to financial return, the projects gained real momentum and delivered enhanced value and quality.
Three pillars of good innovation
The projects were evaluated against three core measures: value, quality, and impact. They were then ranked using a star-model approach, identifying the top 25 performers based on these combined scores.
Value
Leverage ratio | How much private investment did the project attract compared to public funds? Projects that secured higher levels of private co-investment scored more highly. |
Grant intensity | What proportion of the total project cost came from the grant award? Projects whose value was solely covered by the grants scored lower. |
Burn rate | ‘The average monthly expenditure of the project, calculated by dividing total project costs by project duration (months). Higher monthly costs indicated active development and momentum. |
Quality
Capability and track record | Does the lead applicant or consortium have relevant expertise to deliver successfully? Is there evidence of previous successful collaboration? How credible are the organisations involved? |
Realism of Project Delivery | Are the project aims clear and achievable? Have risks been identified with credible mitigation plans? Do proposed outcomes match the scale and resources available? Is the project scoped appropriately? |
Impact
Environmental | Does the project minimise waste, improve resource use efficiency, or reduce carbon emissions with positive impact on other actors in the food system value chain? |
Economic | Does the project demonstrate value for money, a clear return on investment, or commercial scalability? |
Social | Does the project deliver social value back to the community, directly through active engagement or improved outcomes from better health and nutrition? |
Innovation in the Food System
Beyond general innovation metrics, the evaluation considered factors specific to the food sector. This didn't change project scores but helped us identify standout projects that represent excellent innovation and contribute to a sustainable, digitally-enabled, and circular food system in Kent and Medway.
The projects were also mapped against the Defra 2025 Food Strategy key themes:
Circular Economy & Secondary Harvest | Is the project capturing new value from resources or minimising waste? Does it create value from secondary materials or by-products? |
Digitalisation & AI | What level of data use, automation, or technological advances does the project use? Does it generate new technology, data, or software that could benefit the wider industry? |
Sustainability & Carbon Efficiency | Are there clear, measurable goals aligned to environmental sustainability or net-zero targets, such as reducing energy use, improving resource efficiencies, or cutting carbon? |
Health & Nutrition | Will the project positively impact consumer or public health through improved nutritional value or better access to healthy foods? |
Food System Value Chain Resilience
| Does the project strengthen regional food value chains? Can the results be transferred and scaled up? |
How to plan a good innovation project
The analysis of the top-performing revealed features that were common across all high-scoring projects. If you’re planning an innovation project, consider these elements.
Build collaborative teams
Partnership approaches help de-risk investment and bring fresh knowledge and ideas. The most successful collaborations we identified featured:
Consortia with expertise from different fields or specialisms
Vertically integrated organisations working together
Previous partnership experience with a good understanding of collaborative challenges and opportunities
Important: Define and agree the ownership of any intellectual property (IP) developed through the project from the start. Disputes over IP can derail even promising projects. Put collaboration agreements in place before you begin.
Set clear sustainability targets
Well-defined sustainability goals created stronger purpose and led to better outcomes. Linking environmental objectives with improved resource use and financial benefits strengthened project ambition even further.
Carefully consider project size
Larger R&D projects often scored highest on value, securing the greatest level of private co-investment. However, they scored lower on impact and quality. Longer-term projects may lose energy and momentum.
A series of smaller projects, from feasibility, simulation, trial and demonstration might bring better value, quality and outcomes.
Benchmarking Performance Across the Food System
The top-performing projects evaluated came from different stages of the entire food value chain, showing that every value chain stage, from inputs to consumption or retail generates innovation outcomes. Great ideas can emerge anywhere in the system.
Innovation Dashboard
Explore our tool to see the characteristics of great innovation in
horticulture and plant-based food production.
Assessment Methodology
The innovation impact evaluation and dashboard were delivered by Dr Zita Stone, an honorary academic from Kent Business School, the University of Kent, supported by academic colleagues, Dr Zhen Zhu, Senior Lecturer in Big Data Analytics and Dr Preetam Basu, Senior Lecturer in Operations Management.
They analysed 70 projects supported by Growing Kent & Medway during the five years of the UKRI Strength in Places funded programme.
The sample included projects of varied funding levels, durations, and collaboration structures.
