A new body has been set up to encourage technological innovation in small and medium-sized food businesses in the south-east.
The food technology enterprise hub, funded by the South East England Development Agency, will help 10--15 businesses develop products or services offering something genuinely different, said hub director Dr David Parry.
"This is the first hub of its kind in the UK. We are basically offering a one-stop shop for businesses with great ideas to get them off the ground. You could be an entrepreneur with nothing more than a great idea or an established company wanting to diversify."
Successful applicants will be able to plug into the expertise of Reading Scientific Services, Leatherhead Food International, East Malling Research, Kent Business School and the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Greenwich.
Parry said: "We can help find sources of money, from grants to business angels, and develop a business plan. We'll also help them to evaluate potential markets and customers. We can offer everything from free intellectual property advice, market reports and advice on presentations, to contacts with companies that could manufacture your product or produce a prototype."
Applicants must run businesses with 250 staff or fewer in the south-east and have what Parry described as "something patentable". He said: "We'd love to have people coming forward with new ideas for functional foods, for example."
One business already signed up is East Malling-based QTS Analytical, which has developed technology for analysing pesticide residues in fresh produce in a fraction of the time it takes for standard testing.
Contact Parry on 01634 899900.