Advanced Food Innovation Centre (AFIC) – Sheffield Hallam University, UK
The Advanced Food Innovation Centre (AFIC) at Sheffield Hallam University is an interdisciplinary research and innovation hub dedicated to delivering problem-led, collaborative solutions for sustainable, healthier, more resilient and resource-efficient food systems.
Located at Sheffield's Olympic Legacy Park, AFIC brings together multidisciplinary research expertise, advanced facilities, pilot-scale production capabilities and an open innovation environment to address challenges across the agri-food value chain, from farm to factory to fork.
AFIC's research and innovation activities are organised around four strategic themes:
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Healthier Lives: Advancing healthier food products, ingredients, nutritional quality and food innovation.
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Digital Connectivity and Technology: Applying artificial intelligence, automation, sensors, data analytics and emerging digital technologies to improve food production, processing and supply-chain performance.
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Food System Sustainability: Supporting circular economy solutions, food waste reduction, resource efficiency, low-carbon technologies and sustainable food value chains.
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Feeding a Growing Population: Improving food production and processing efficiency, reducing losses and developing innovative solutions for sustainable food availability.
AFIC offers specialist laboratories, pilot-scale production facilities, engineering and process innovation expertise, and opportunities for industry-oriented testing and demonstration. Its interdisciplinary capabilities span food engineering, intelligent manufacturing, automation, energy efficiency, sustainable processing, supply-chain optimisation, circular resource management and innovation adoption.
The Centre collaborates with SMEs, multinational food manufacturers, technology providers, universities and public-sector organisations to co-develop and implement practical solutions. Its track record includes innovations in sustainable rice milling, industrial heat recovery, energy-efficient food processing, smart manufacturing, food waste reduction and supply-chain sustainability.
Horizon Europe Cluster 6 Collaboration Interests
AFIC seeks to participate in European research and innovation consortia addressing:
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Sustainable and digitally enabled agri-food systems
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AI, IoT, automation and intelligent food manufacturing
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Circular bioeconomy, food waste valorisation and resource efficiency
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Sustainable and resilient agri-food supply chains
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Climate-smart food production and industrial decarbonisation
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Food innovation, commercialisation and SME competitiveness
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Living Labs, stakeholder co-creation and real-world demonstration
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Environmental performance, sustainability assessment and circular business models
Potential Contributions to European Consortia
AFIC can contribute interdisciplinary research expertise, industry engagement, pilot-scale testing, applied innovation, stakeholder co-creation, sustainability assessment, and pathways for technology transfer, exploitation and market uptake.
We welcome collaboration with European universities, research institutes, food and agricultural businesses, technology providers, industry networks, public authorities and innovation ecosystems seeking a UK research and innovation partner capable of connecting scientific research, digital technologies, sustainable food systems and industrial implementation.
