UK Science Alliance

The Riddet Institute has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UK’s Institute of Food Research (IFR), a world leader in food and health research. The Riddet Institute is one of seven New Zealand Centres of Research Excellence, hosted by Massey University.

The agreement covers research collaboration on foods for health. Specifically, scientists will undertake joint programmes on structures and properties of complex foods, and the role of complex food structures in the release of nutrients/bioactives. The MoU will also facilitate exchange visits of research staff and sharing of research facilities in digestion biophysics, MRI imaging, and food structure design.

IFR Director, Professor David Boxer, who is in New Zealand to speak at the Riddet Institute’s agri-food summit in Wellington, said: “IFR and the Riddet Institute have highly complementary research interests in foods for health, food structure design and fundamental research on food digestion processes. Over the past 12 months significant discussions have taken place between the two organisations and we have firmly established a mutual interest in joint research.”
Riddet Institute co-director Distinguished Professor Harjinder Singh said: “IFR is one of our major international collaborators as a Centre of Research Excellence and will be a key collaborator in future research programmes. The MoU will facilitate access to leading scientific expertise, and short-term research visits between IFR and Riddet Institute will build our capability in these areas.”

The agreement will enable the Riddet Institute and IFR to apply for European funding through the CoST schemes to undertake short term scientific missions and will give the ability to apply for longer term funding under the European Union Horizon 2020 funding programme or similar schemes.

Background
IFR is a world leader in research into harnessing food for health and preventing food-related diseases. Outputs from IFR research underpin evidence-based advice on healthier ageing, disease prevention strategies, and early detection of risk factors developed for policymakers, the National Health Service and specialist services, industry and the public. It also stimulates innovation in the commercial sector. The Institute links research in the areas of food science, diet and health between the major universities/institutes and research associations in the UK, Europe and worldwide.

The Riddet Institute is a national Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) in food science and nutrition. The Institute has an internationally known research programme at the nexus of food science and human digestion with more than 60 PhD students. Its headquarters are in Palmerston North on Massey’s Manawatu campus.
ENDS

Photo caption from back left: Distinguished Professor Harjinder Singh, Distinguished Professor Paul Moughan (Riddet Institute co-directors), Arthur Chin (Director, International, Massey)

front: Professor David Boxer, Director IFR, Steve Maharey, Vice-chancellor, Massey University.

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