Boosting Shropshire’s Agri-Tech and Food Scene

Yo, check it out! Harper Adams University is kicking off a new project to help boost Shropshire’s agri-tech and food and drink scenes. The project, called Sustaining Shropshire, is all about giving a helping hand to businesses in the Shropshire Council area. They want to help these businesses come up with cool new ideas and grow in a way that’s good for the environment.

So, who’s behind this awesome project? Well, it’s none other than Harper Adams University, along with their buddies at the Agri-Epi centre. These guys are all about supporting businesses that are coming up with top-notch innovation in the agriculture sector.

The big launch for Sustaining Shropshire is happening at the Regional Food Academy at Harper Adams on 29 November, starting at 4pm. Melissa Sambrook, from Sustaining Shropshire, is super stoked about it. She’s inviting all the small and medium-sized food and drink or Agri-tech businesses in Shropshire to come along and find out more about the project and the support they can get.

This project is like a follow-up to the AGRI project that the university did with Aston University. That project helped a bunch of businesses introduce new stuff and supported nearly 150 businesses. Sustaining Shropshire is taking it to the next level by offering one-on-one support, hosting events and workshops, and creating networking opportunities for businesses to share their ideas.

The goal of Sustaining Shropshire is to help at least 100 SMEs by 2025, with at least 80 of them bringing in new or improved processes or products. And guess what? The project has scored some funding from Shropshire Council through the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Councillor Mark Jones from Shropshire Council is all about it. He’s saying that this project is a big deal for the county and it’s all about boosting growth and encouraging innovation and sustainability. It’s a win-win for everyone!

And get this, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund is all about investing in local communities and businesses, supporting people and skills, and making life better for everyone. How cool is that?