Dairy Crest and Harper Adams are delighted to announce a unique collaboration between the dairy and education sectors, which should result in Dairy Crest building a new, dedicated Innovation Centre at the university in Shropshire.

The collaboration will further strengthen the existing links between Dairy Crest – the leading British dairy company - and Harper Adams - the UK’s leading food and agricultural university.

Dairy Crest has an ambitious target to deliver 10% of year-on-year growth from New Product Development (NPD), with scientific research, technology and product development at the core of this objective. This year, Dairy Crest launched a number of new products, including Clover Seedburst and a UHT version of its best-selling flavoured milk drink, FRijj. The collaboration with Harper Adams will allow Dairy Crest to work with the university and link into leading research in the agricultural and food science areas, as well as providing a purpose built food Innovation Centre on the university’s campus. This will create two-way benefits for both Dairy Crest and Harper Adams. It will re-energise Dairy Crest’s already productive activities in food and dairy product innovation and creativity through interaction with the university’s academics, and Harper Adams will gain from the support the company can provide to the university’s curriculum with opportunities for undergraduates and postgraduates to apply their skills and knowledge in an industrial setting.

Roger Emery, Dairy Crest’s Group Technical and Compliance Director commented:

“This is a great opportunity for Dairy Crest. We already have a productive working relationship with Harper Adams, and provide placements for Food Science students at our Technical Development Centre, in Crudgington. The students work on market-leading brands such as Country Life butter, Clover, Cathedral City and FRijj. This new collaboration will be a mutual relationship. As well as strengthening links, the project will open new opportunities for both parties to work together and support the development of future technical professionals for the food industry."

“I am also delighted that we will be staying in Shropshire which has a historic association with Dairy Crest and a superb dairying tradition.”

Dr David Llewellyn, Harper Adams University’s Vice-Chancellor is delighted with the opportunity to work more closely with Dairy Crest and add further to the support the university provides to British farmers, stating that:

"As the leading UK university working to underpin the country’s agriculture and food sectors, we see many opportunities in this collaboration for both Dairy Crest and Harper Adams that will benefit farmers, our students and staff, as well as consumers."

“This is an important step for both Dairy Crest and Harper Adams. In a world where issues of food security and sustainability are now at the top of political and agri-food industry agendas, finding ways to increase the interaction and knowledge flow between academia and the food industry for commercial and societal benefits is going to become more important and this collaboration is most timely."

“We are also very pleased to have received support from the Higher Education Funding Council in this initiative.”