Grant: Applied Research Tools and Instruments Grants
George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology
$200,000.00
Food and Beverage Product Development Equipment for the Food Innovation & Research Studio
EF 2023-24
Résumé
Food and beverage (F&B) processing is Canada’s biggest manufacturing employer, supporting over 290,000 Canadian jobs, 37% of which are located in Ontario, which is home to over 4,500 F&B processors. It is vital to support these businesses with services that help them to thrive and grow in a competitive and changing market, as they contribute significantly to the Canadian economy. These businesses must innovate constantly – from 2016 to 2018, 39% of Canadian F&B processors brought a new or improved product to market. However, 71% of these businesses have 9 or fewer employees, and rarely have all the necessary technical skills needed to troubleshoot issues, create new products, and ensure they are validated and comply with regulations. This highlights a strong a need for innovation support for F&B SMEs.
The Food Innovation and Research Studio (FIRSt) at George Brown College is a key player in propelling these F&B innovations from concept to manufacturing and market-readiness. FIRSt is the longest running F&B-focused Technology Access Centre in Canada, in operation for over a decade with an expert team serving clients from a 3,000 square foot lab in Toronto. FIRSt supports Ontario’s F&B industry by integrating expert innovation support and services with state-of-the-art facilities to ensure products are developed and optimized in a timely, cost-effective, and consumer-focused manner. Over the past 6 years, FIRSt has helped more than 400 private sector F&B businesses, including 250+ SMEs, to develop over 350 new products and optimize close to 400 existing products.
ARTI funds will be used to replace core high-use infrastructure and obtain new applied research tools in Beverage Research, Food Processing, and Quality Measurement and Validation that will increase FIRSt’s testing capacity and product development capabilities (adding canned beverages, chocolate-coated bars, mayonnaise-based sauces, and more). The equipment could be used in over 85 projects and 780+ services over the next five years. This proposal will ensure service continuity, expand product development and testing capabilities, and enhance the accuracy of project results. It is vital to FIRSt’s ability to continue supporting impactful industry innovation, and will enable FIRSt to expand training opportunities for faculty and students.
Programme
Applied Research Tools and Instruments Grants
Emplacement
Ontario, Canada
Type de bénéficiaire
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
Tel que publié
Application id
CARTI-2023-00039
Name nom
Reilly, Dan
Department département
Research & Innovation - George Brown College (George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology)
Organization id
10366
Institution établissement
George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology
Province en
Ontario
Province fr
Ontario
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2023
Competition year année de concours
2023
Award amount
200000
Program id
CARTI
Program name en
Applied Research Tools and Instruments Grants
Program name fr
Subventions d'outils et d'instruments de recherche appliquée
Group en
RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS
Group fr
PARTENARIATS DE RECHERCHE
Committee code
CARTI-2023
Committee name en
ARTI Review Committee
Committee name fr
Commité d’évaluation OIRA
Area of application code
10000
Area of application group en
The socioeconomic objective available
Area of application group fr
L'objectif socioéconomique disponible
Area of application en
The socioeconomic objective available
Area of application fr
L'objectif socioéconomique disponible
Research subject code
10000
Research subject group en
The field of research available
Research subject group fr
The field of research available
Research subject en
Le domaine de recherche disponible
Research subject fr
Le domaine de recherche disponible
Field of research list codes
RDF4040204
Field of research list names en
Food and beverage processing (including packaging, additives, transportation and preservation)
Field of research list names fr
Transformation des aliments et des boissons (y compris l'emballage, les additifs, le transport et la conservation)
Socioeconomic objective list codes
RDS10602
Socioeconomic objective list names en
Industrial processes related to agricultural products (except wood, paper and fiber)
Socioeconomic objective list names fr
Procédés industriels relatifs aux produits agricoles (sauf le bois, le papier, et la fibre)
Application title
Food and Beverage Product Development Equipment for the Food Innovation & Research Studio
Keyword
food science and innovation; food product development; food product optimization; nutrition; shelf life assessment; consumer sensory evaluation; recipe design and development; food and beverage formulation development
Application summary
Food and beverage (F&B) processing is Canada’s biggest manufacturing employer, supporting over 290,000 Canadian jobs, 37% of which are located in Ontario, which is home to over 4,500 F&B processors. It is vital to support these businesses with services that help them to thrive and grow in a competitive and changing market, as they contribute significantly to the Canadian economy. These businesses must innovate constantly – from 2016 to 2018, 39% of Canadian F&B processors brought a new or improved product to market. However, 71% of these businesses have 9 or fewer employees, and rarely have all the necessary technical skills needed to troubleshoot issues, create new products, and ensure they are validated and comply with regulations. This highlights a strong a need for innovation support for F&B SMEs.
The Food Innovation and Research Studio (FIRSt) at George Brown College is a key player in propelling these F&B innovations from concept to manufacturing and market-readiness. FIRSt is the longest running F&B-focused Technology Access Centre in Canada, in operation for over a decade with an expert team serving clients from a 3,000 square foot lab in Toronto. FIRSt supports Ontario’s F&B industry by integrating expert innovation support and services with state-of-the-art facilities to ensure products are developed and optimized in a timely, cost-effective, and consumer-focused manner. Over the past 6 years, FIRSt has helped more than 400 private sector F&B businesses, including 250+ SMEs, to develop over 350 new products and optimize close to 400 existing products.
ARTI funds will be used to replace core high-use infrastructure and obtain new applied research tools in Beverage Research, Food Processing, and Quality Measurement and Validation that will increase FIRSt’s testing capacity and product development capabilities (adding canned beverages, chocolate-coated bars, mayonnaise-based sauces, and more). The equipment could be used in over 85 projects and 780+ services over the next five years. This proposal will ensure service continuity, expand product development and testing capabilities, and enhance the accuracy of project results. It is vital to FIRSt’s ability to continue supporting impactful industry innovation, and will enable FIRSt to expand training opportunities for faculty and students.
