On Friday, January 18th, over 250 representatives from the food related research, education and business worlds descended upon UCC to attended the official launch of the Food Institute UCC, which represents a major development in the area of food related research and education in Ireland.

UCC, who recently celebrated its 90th anniversary of food related education, represents the biggest concentration of food-related resources in the State, and the launch of the newly formed Food Institute UCC illustrates a further strengthening of the University’s commitment to the Irish agri and agri-food sectors which are now at a critical juncture. The Food Institute UCC provides a unifying brand for all UCC Food stakeholders and will be a focal point for industry engagement.

Opening the event, Jim Corbett, Director of the Food Institute UCC commented, “The Food Institute UCC is an exciting development which will make a strategic contribution to regional and national food industry development, innovation and success, and which builds upon the strong UCC Food legacy. I am delighted to see such a strong and positive attendance at our launch event and look forward to progressing our aims in close co-operation between my UCC colleagues, government agencies and our indigenous and international food industry partners.”

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD attended the launch, and praised UCC for their progressive contribution to the Irish food industry, “I understand that over 16% of UCC students are international, a reflection of the reputation of the college globally. As of 2018, UCC offers a joint degree programme in Food Science with the Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU). Given the uncertain challenges posed by Brexit, collaboration with other European and International institutes by UCC in areas of research and education can only strengthen and enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of Ireland’s agri-food industry. The establishment of the Food Institute in UCC will see a new unifying identity for UCC Food, and will enable all stakeholders to engage seamlessly with food research and education in Ireland.”

Throughout the morning, attendees also heard from key leaders from the food industry and academia including Mr Jim Woulfe, CEO, Dairygold; Professor Paul Ross, UCC; Professor Thia Hennessey, Cork University Business School, Professor John O’Halloran, Deputy President UCC; Dr Gerry Murphy, Chairman, Tate & Lyle and Dr Wayne Anderson, Director of Food Science and Standards, Food Safety Authority Ireland, the majority of whom are UCC Alumni.

With roots going back to the 19th century, ‘Food’ has been one of the flagship brands of University College Cork for much of its history, and is Ireland’s most prolific university for producing research publications in both Food Science and Nutrition.

UCC has been producing graduates for the global food industry for over 90 years. With over 240 staff in the food-related area, and with Food-related income of €142 million won by UCC since 2012, UCC continues to shape the future of food both in Ireland and internationally.

The Food Institute will bring top tier researchers, educators and industry representatives together in a dynamic, cross-disciplinary research environment, with a strong industry focus on delivering innovative science and technologies.

For further information on the Food Institute UCC visit www.ucc.ie/en/food/