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.