Growing Kent & Medway
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Funded business-academic collaborations
Businesses have partnered with researchers on projects that help the transition to net-zero, and deliver improved productivity and sustainability in horticultural food and drink production. From fresh produce packaging, food and drink processing, horticultural production to the supporting technologies, your project can solve a challenge at any point in the supply chain.
Rent A Cherry Tree Collaboration
Using cherry waste to create foods rich in compounds with health benefits that reduce agricultural waste and promotes health
Nashi Gold Pear Collaboration
Investigating the biochemical profiles in Nashi Gold pear hybrids for potential health benefits
Re-Generation Earth collaboration
The role of biochar in increasing crop land productivity and the removal of atmospheric greenhouse gases
British Hop Association (BHA) Collaboration
Marker assisted breeding to produce powdery mildew resistant hop cultivars
Inspro Black Soldier Fly Project
Production of insect protein feed through valorisation of ‘organic waste’ from UK farms
Novel Punnet Plastic Soaker Project
Investigating the impact of novel punnet to remove a plastic soaker pad whilst maintaining the quality and shelf life of fruit
Enhancing Soil Through Microbiome Manipulation
Improving soil health for sustainable agriculture and ecosystem stability
Seaweed Cultivation Project
Reducing the environmental impact of commercial seaweed cultivation
Hop Sensory and Chemical Assessments
Enhancing the Uptake of UK Hops by National Breweries through Comprehensive Assessments
Sustainable Farming Systems
Development of a measure, report and verification protocol for enhanced rock weathering to improve soil fertility
Non-alcoholic beer production
Harnessing UK hops for sustainable non-alcoholic beer production
Non-conventional yeast strain optimisation
Non-conventional yeast strain optimisation for industrial protein production using deep learning
Climate Resilient UK Hop Varieties
Genetic Informed Breeding of Climate Resilient UK Hop Varieties
Animal-Free Cheese Production
Unlocking the Next-Generation Protein Expression Systems for Animal-Free Cheese Production
Events
Events held by the Growing Kent & Medway team at the University of Kent
The Sustainable Packaging Forum
Growing Kent and Medway’s first Sustainable Packaging Forum, bringing together industry, policy and academia to discuss how to deliver a real circular sustainable packaging ecosystem.
Social Purpose Forum
This forum brought together organisations and businesses working with food and drink and which are focused on changing lives and creating social impact.
Viticulture Research Event
Leading researchers in the field of regenerative viticulture met with viticulturists and wine makers for a research and development day.
Hop Technical Day
At the Hops Technical Day promising new technical developments were presented from the UK breeding programmes.
2023 Showcase Event
Growing Kent & Medway brought together members, researchers, business experts, and funders to celebrate the sustainable innovation being supported by the programme.