Seaweed bioplastics among Kent projects receiving sustainability grants
Growing Kent & Medway, a regional research cluster, has awarded grants totalling £200,000 to six innovative local businesses via its Business Sustainability Challenge.
The grants, worth between £10,000 and £50,000, will allow the businesses to undertake short-term, high-impact projects aimed at promoting sustainability in the food and drink sectors.
A diverse range of initiatives have been funded, including developing fermented snacks from rescued fruits and vegetables, producing sustainable packaging from brewers' spent grain, and optimising water and fertiliser use in indoor farming through data management platforms.
Each will work towards a commercial and environmentally sustainable solution for local supply chains.
Among the entrepreneurs leading the winning projects are a part-time PhD student, a kitchen-based producer of South Indian takeaway cuisine and a group of microbiologists and plant scientists.
Robert Patten, managing director of PlantWorks, said: “The support from Growing Kent & Medway will enable PlantWorks to further develop its proprietary bioreactor technology, improving yield through enhanced environmental controls and media modulation.
“Our ability to produce highly sterile bulk microbes using pharmaceutical techniques will enable PlantWorks to further contribute to the regenerative agriculture movement, which is essential for securing a long-term, sustainable food supply.”
Dr Nikki Harrison, director of Growing Kent & Medway, said: “These grants offer a diverse range of businesses the opportunity to pursue commercial innovation and sustainability projects in Kent and Medway's outstanding food and drink sectors.
“The projects we've funded strengthen our region's position as the leading British innovation cluster for these sectors, whilst growing an inclusive culture of sustainable entrepreneurship and building resilience across the UK's horticultural supply chains."
