New Technologies and Approaches in Food Industry Project Brokerage Event was realized at Istanbul Aydin University, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, on February, 22nd 2012. New R&D project ideas were presented during the Brokerage Event and researchers and industrialists found an opportunity for cooperation in food sector.
‘New technologies and approaches in food industry’ project brokerage event was organized by Istanbul Aydin University, Faculty of engineering and architecture, in cooperation with TAGES and Innovation Project Development Training and Consultancy Services and with support of Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Institute (TUBITAK), Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ISO), Istanbul Development Agency, Turkish Technological Development Foundation (TTGV) and UFRAD Franchising Association on February 22nd, 2012. The aim of the event was to create innovation and added-value in Turkish food Industry by bringing together the academicians, industrials and public-private finance institutions in a common platform. In the context of the event, it was aimed to increase the variety and the quality of the products in export-oriented food industry and its sub-sectors, to develop technology in food industry and technology transfer implementations, to transfer the university-industry collaboration to the projects on food safety and sustainability, to increase the awareness on national and international institutions which could provide financial support for this transformation and to move the projects to the international level as a next step.
The representatives of the food industry and the key persons who have expertise on grant programmes and projects and also the academicians of Aydin University participated in the event. Sinem Ucal Cepni, the coordinator of the event, the consultant of the presented of trustees, Prof. Metin Ger and Prof. Hasan Saygın, and Prof. Osman Nuri Ucan, the dean of the engineering and architecture department emphasized the importance of the projects developed by the university-industry collaboration. The representatives of Istanbul Development Agency (ISTKA), Technology Development Foundation of Turkey (TTGV) and SME Development Organization of Turkey (KOSGEB) addressed the grant programmes and provided information how the project applicants can apply to the programmes. The success stories about the food projects were also presented. Leyla Arsan, the CEO of TAGES, presented the FP7 AGFORISE (Agrofood Clusters Platform with Common Long-Term Research and Innovation Strategy towards Economic Growth and Prosperity) project, where TAGES is one of the partners of the project and is providing coordination support to the Project Coordinator Mersin Special Provincial Administration, as a success story of the EU funded projects in food industry. Arsan provided information on the activities and the studies which were completed by the partners to achieve the objectives of the project and shared the successful results of the project. The main objective of the AGFORISE (AGroFOod Clusters Platform with Common Long-Term Research and Innovation Strategy towards Economic Growth and Prosperity) project was to create a common dialogue platform and a joint action plan among the Agrofood clusters that will maximise capacity for research and benefit from research infrastructure through complementariness and synergy, so as to contribute for sustainable development, prosperity, economic growth and global competitiveness of the regions.
Moreover, during the event, the academicians and the industrials presented their project ideas especially on environment and waste management in food Industry, recycling of waste products in food industry, nutraceuticals and functional foods, nanotechnology and food, food Safety, packaging applications, frozen foods and biotechnology and gene technologies and discussed together during the cooperation session of the event in order to develop projects. As a result of the event, it is seen that Turkish food Industry have a good potential to be developed by means of the innovative projects in a collaboration with experienced and capable industrials and academicians. This event had been a step for promoting a cooperation environment for the sector.
