New fund for original food products in Northern Ireland

Smaller food firms in Northern Ireland are being supported to come up with original product ideas for export. A grant scheme, worth almost £900,000 and aimed at stimulating innovation in the agri-food industry, has been launched in Northern Ireland.

The Research Challenge Fund (RCF) scheme was recently introduced by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland.

Aimed at small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs), the RCF provides funding for industry-led collaborative research projects.

It is hoped these projects will have the potential to further the sustainability and competitiveness of agri-food and rural enterprises in the North.

The RCF was first launched in 2010. So far, 19 projects have benefited from close to £2.3 million in grant aid.

For businesses that want to get involved in research and development projects, which will start in 2018, the RCF offers support to help cover up to 50 per cent of eligible research and development costs.

Under the scheme these costs will be capped at a maximum of £250,000 per application.
Applications are now being accepted for the 2017 fund, with up to £877,000 available for what is the fifth tranche of the scheme.

The deadline for applications is set to close on Friday, May 26, at 5pm, while it is hoped that successful projects will then commence from January 1, 2018.