THE launch a £1.6 million European funded project will see food and drink businesses across North Yorkshire offered innovation vouchers up to £5,000 as well as business support.

The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) project, Stimulating Innovation in the Agri Food Sector (SIAFS), aims to help small to medium sized food businesses across the region to grow and develop.

The project is delivered by Science City York, which is part of Make It York, and Fera Science Ltd, and is offering a range of activity in order to help agri food businesses overcome any problems in order to expand.

The project is offering fully-funded workshops and masterclasses on skills such as marketing, project development and branding as well as scientific skills such as food safety and food packagaing techniques.

There are also fully funded innovation vouchers available, up to the value of £5,000, from Fera Science which can be used at Fera for services such as product testing, risk identification and pest control.

Businesses are eligible for the project if their business is in food and drink from West, North or East Yorkshire with less than 250 staff.

Heather Niven, head of Science City York said: “This is a great opportunity for our Yorkshire businesses to find new ways of developing products and services, to improve the way they do business and to collaborate with others in the region.

“This fund will enable businesses to understand their innovation strengths and weaknesses and do something practical to improve and grow.

“The ERDF investment in this project follows the government’s £50 million commitment to a new Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL) and a Centre for Crop Health and Protection (CHAP) which are based at the same site further strengthening Yorkshire’s position as a leading regional Agri-Food base.”

To find out more visit www.agrifoodinnov.com