QMU’s Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation (SCFDI) team has been named a Knowledge Exchange Hero at the Interface Awards 2025.

Despite being up against very stiff competition, the team took home the top prize ‘Knowledge Exchange Heroes Award’ in the 10th Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards run by Interface.

The event, held at Edinburgh Futures Institute on 19th March ’25, brought together Scotland’s rich ecosystem of talent to celebrate transformational collaborations between businesses, communities, universities, colleges, and research institutes which are solving industry challenges, improving productivity, advancing research and supporting Scotland’s ambition to be one of the most innovative small nations in the world.

Developments in renewable energy, mental health, medicine and food and drink scooped awards across 10 categories. QMU’s Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation (SCFDI) was the only team amongst the finalists representing the specialism of food and drink.

Established in 2014 in response to the growth of Scotland’s food and drink industry, the University’s SCFDI is a team of qualified and experienced food scientists, nutritionists and sensory specialists. The staff provide specialist support to food and drink businesses at any stage from small start-ups to large established brands. For the last decade they have championed Knowledge Exchange in Scotland’s food and drink sector – developing progressive models for industry/academia knowledge exchange career pathways, supported an impressive SME client portfolio, and attracted increasing attention from global food companies and retailers.

Amelia Whitelaw, Director of Interface, said: “The Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards celebrate successful partnerships where knowledge is shared to create new solutions. The nominees and winners exemplify how collaboration drives valuable advancements. These partnerships have led to the development of new technologies, products, and services that contribute to economic progress and societal benefit. Their innovations are not only transforming Scotland but also have the potential to make a global impact.”

Kim Stuart, Director of the Research and Knowledge Exchange Unit at QMU, said: “The SCFDI team is pivotal in driving innovation in the food and drink sector.

“The team’s focus is on “market ready” research to support SMEs reformulate existing and create new products in response to Scotland’s economic, public health and climate change challenges. Whether they are making existing products healthier, providing sustainable solutions or creating new functional foods, the SCFDI now successfully inhabits a unique position in Scotland’s food landscape, bridging the gap between small and large-scale organisations, and accelerating the exploitation of Scottish-led innovation into the food industry.

“We are very proud of the team’s collaboration with the Scottish Rural College (SRUC), which for the past four years has developed and delivered THRIVE our entrepreneurial development programme, training 120+ next generation food and drink entrepreneurs and promoting social mobility.”

Kim concluded: “SCFDI has already gained recognition as a “key asset” in Scotland’s innovation ecosystem, and this ‘Knowledge Exchange Heroes Award’ just continues to strengthen the team’s reputation as a key influencer and innovator in Scotland’s Higher Education and food and drink sectors.”

Business Minister Richard Lochhead said: “It was good to see the full breadth of academic and business-led innovation on show at Interface’s annual awards. It demonstrated why our expertise in so many sectors is revered around the world, from renewable energy and health technology, to food and drink.”