Welcome to the Food and Drink Innovation Gateway
A one-stop innovation shop for food and drink manufacturers
Got a lot on your plate?
Impacted by high energy costs? Struggling to fulfil orders? Looking for sustable solutions?
The Food and Drink Innovation Gateway provides food and drink manufacturers of all sizes the opportunity to unlock access to the adoption of automation, digitalisation and new technologies.
Through a free consultation with the UK’s world-leading experts, we will work with you to identify your challenges and offer technology-based, cost-effective, solutions that can help your business grow.
How to access this support
Click on 'Get started' to access our online form.
Tell us about your business and summarise the key challenges you would like to tackle.
We will arrange a 1-2-1 discussion with an expert who will identify the innovation support you need.
What is the Gateway?
We can make it easy for food and drink businesses to access the expertise available to improve manufacturing processes.
Pressures to increase productivity and reach net zero together with labour and skills shortages, means opportunities offered through adopting innovative technologies have never been more important.
Bringing innovation and technology into your business doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive. Often relatively small adjustments or process refinements have a big impact on making businesses more resilient, efficient and profitable.
Business support is out there; the challenge is to know where to start or who to speak to.
We have brought together innovation support from across the UK into a single gateway that connects FDF members to organisations and people best placed to help.
How can the Gateway help my business?
Get startedYou can come in with a specific project in mind, or none at all! We can help you wherever you are on your journey.
Open to all FDF members
The Food and Drink Innovation Gateway is currently open to members of the FDF and focused on helping businesses improve efficiency, productivity and/or waste through automation.
Case studies
These case studies from Made Smarter that show the type of projects the Gateway can support:
Generation Juice – A taste for digitalisation
Lakes Ice Cream – Technology to transform
Bells of Lazonby – Introducing robots
What to expect from the Gateway?
No matter the size of your business or where you are based, the Gateway can support with:
- expert advice from innovation centres across the UK
- initial scoping call to discuss your needs
- opportunity for a free line walk and visit report
- support identifying relevant funding and support with bid writing
- subsidised support available for SMEs
- recommendations for technology providers and/or capital investment funding.
