NNFCC’s experience of supporting market development, detailed knowledge of bioeconomy stakeholders across business and academia and our understanding of the innovation process makes us ideally placed to facilitate and coordinate research projects and funding programmes. With business and research backgrounds our staff have managed research projects and understand the project management challenges involved.

We have considerable experience of facilitation and coordination. Facilitated programmes include the UK participation in ERA-Net IB, DEFRA’s Renewable Materials Link and the creation of the UK Networks in Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy (NIBB) on behalf of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research (BBSRC).

Working on behalf of BBSRC, EPSRC and Innovate UK, NNFCC is the coordinator for the Industrial Biotechnology Catalyst. Catalysts provide funding to innovative businesses and researchers working in priority areas with the aim of helping them to quickly turn excellent UK research into new or improved commercial processes and products.

The Industrial Biotechnology Catalyst programme aims to accelerate commercialisation by supporting the development of new industrial biotechnology products and processes, and enabling their potential scale-up. It supports R&D for the processing and production of materials, chemicals and bioenergy through the sustainable exploitation of biological resources. As coordinators, NNFCC advise on the scope of applications to be submitted to the Catalyst, facilitate development of new collaborations and monitor funded projects.