Date of release: 30 January 2003

For immediate use

EEDA board members visit leading research institute in Norwich

The UK's Institute of Food Research (IFR) was the destination for East of England Development Agency (EEDA) board members for their meeting this month.

The Institute of Food Research is the UK's only integrated centre for research into food safety, nutrition and food materials science. The internationally renowned Institute, with 300 staff plus 100 students and visiting scientists from around the globe, is based on Norwich Research Park. Other partners on the Norwich Research Park, one of Europe's largest and most successful single-site concentrations of research and development in areas including plants, food, diet and health, include the John Innes Centre, the University of East Anglia and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Trust.

Norwich Research Park is one of Europe's largest and most successful single-site concentrations of research and development in areas including plants, food, diet and health.

The EEDA board members toured the laboratories and facilities at the Institute on January 23 in order to gain an insight into one of the most innovative organisations in the food technology industry and to consider how innovation in the food sector can be driven forward.

The agriculture and food processing sector contributes around £3 billion a year to the East of England's £82 billion economy and EEDA and its partner organisations are working to improve the productivity of companies within the sector.

In 2001 EEDA established the Agriculture and Food Processing Sector Group which includes a variety of companies and public sector organisations. It strives to increase innovative working practices within the sector and tackle the issues which are restricting business growth.

EEDA is also developing a food and drink strategy for the region which will assist in the work of the sector by creating a more detailed picture of the region's food industry. The strategy incorporates the views of the region's food businesses and will pave the way for a joined up approach for the food industry's long-term future.

EEDA board member Marie Skinner, who leads the work the agency is doing on tackling rural issues, said: "The IFR is an example of the excellent research facilities which are based in the region.

"The IFR also demonstrates the possibilities for growth within the sector, which is necessary to help make the East of England one of the 20 most prosperous European regions by 2010.

"Through its subsidiary IFR Enterprises, the discoveries and innovations of the IFR are being commercialised and the Food & Health Network it has set up enables the IFR to undertake knowledge transfer allowing its research to benefit companies within the food sector."

Notes to Editors

About EEDA

EEDA is the driving force behind economic regeneration in the East of England: Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. EEDA has an ambitious target to make the East of England one of the top 20 European regions by 2010 - the region is currently third out of the 11 UK regions in terms of economic performance, but only 28th out of 77 European regions.

For further press information about EEDA and please contact:
Chris Lock, EEDA press officer, tel: 01223 200871, email: chrislock@eeda.org.uk, www.eeda.org.uk

For further press information about IFR please contact:
Jo Belsten, IFR Press Officer, tel: 01603 255218, email: jo.belsten@ifr.ac.uk, www.ifr.ac.uk

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