Technology Transfer

We have a role helping to ensure the long-term competitiveness of the UK agri-food industry - working in collaboration with companies, often funded by Government schemes designed to drive economic impact, but with advances always grounded in academic excellence. The possibilities include 1:1 projects, studentships, LINK projects, licensing arrangements or joint business ventures.

Please contact us for further information or confidential discussions. We can discuss mutually beneficial intellectual property arrangements.

Dr Reg Wilson, Deputy Director of Science Operations ( reg.wilson@ifr.ac.uk )  Tel: +44 (0)1603 255210

We work in partnership with Plant Biosciences Ltd (PBL) as our preferred technology transfer partner. The majority of our intellectual property is assigned to PBL and exploited by them on our behalf. The Dynamic Gastric Model is a good example of this cooperation. Developed at IFR and made from sophisticated plastics and metals, it can withstand corrosive gut acids and enzymes and is used to examine foods, pharmaceuticals and other aspects of digestion.

Exploitation of science at IFR

IFR scientists are encouraged to be entrepreneurial. Part of our strategy is to define a small number of activities that offer good potential for commercial development.

The National Collection of Yeast Cultures, Food Databanks and ComBase are based around critical resources established or developed at IFR whose maintenance is of national strategic importance. Both these unique areas are partially self-sustaining through the marketing and supply of services and information. 

Some activities have an applied science agenda. Sustainability of the Food Chain contributes to local initiates (Innovation in non-food crops) and the Sustainable Agriculture and Land Use challenge.

Deputy Director of Science Operations

Reg Wilson