NCUB - National Centre for Universities and Business

Published: March 9th 2015

The next food revolution is under way. UK consumers spent £196bn on food, drink and catering in 2012. The sector contributed over £103bn to the economy, £19bn in exports, and 3.7 million jobs in close to 200,000 firms. It encompasses seemingly disparate businesses such as farms and fisheries, high-tech manufacturers, mass-market retailers and industrial caterers. It is intimately bound up in competition for the use of land and water, in the management of climate change, and in the nation’s health and well-being.

Improved innovation, leadership, entrepreneurship and talent for the food sector are fundamental to the UK’s economic success, not only today but in the very different future of what we call: Food 4.0.

Download the report (pdf)

pdf Leading Food 4.0 (4.72 MB)

Read the Online Edition

Leading Food 4.0: Online Edition

Download the report for Kindle

default Leading Food 4.0 Kindle Edition (1.77 MB)

Report Case Studies Online:

• Growing the Food and Drink Industry in Scotland Through Innovation
• Unique MEng Food Engineering Course Backed by Industry
• National Centre for Precision Farming: Developing New Technology
• Online course to enhance knowledge exchange with the Food Supply Chain
• Inspire, Inform and Connect: Promoting Agricultural Careers
• Encouraging Budding Young Scientists to Join the Food Industry
• US Land Grant University System for Research Collaboration
• Encouraging the Circular Economy in Lincolnshire’s Food Businesses
• The Open Innovation Model
• Supporting Innovation Through Academic Links in the Scottish Food & Drink Sector
• Easy Wins and Best Practice for Improving the Agri-Food Sector
• The Division of Signal Transduction Therapy: Showcasing Open Innovation
  
• Fusion Projects Show the Way for Industry-Wide Collaboration
• Funding to Help a Local Food Business Expand
• The Lambert Toolkit: Effective Negotiation of IP in Collaboration

Food Economy Task Force Reports: 

• Full Report: Leading Food 4.0: Growing Business-University Collaboration for the UK's Food Economy
• Summary Report: Leading Food 4.0: Growing Business-University Collaboration for the UK's Food Economy
• Work Stream 1 Report: Attitudes and Perceptions of Careers in the Agriculture and Food Sector
• Work Stream 2 Report: Science and Translation of Innovation in the Food Economy
• Work Stream 3 Report: Landscape Collaboration for Sustainable Land Use

Food Economy Week:

Case studies and blogs that accompanied the report launch

Related pages:

Graduates from Britain’s top research universities could help our food industry become the best in the world, say expert panel

Politicans must offer tangible commitments to food and drink (external link)

UK Food Sector needs strenghtening says Justin King-led task force (external link)