CSIR-NIIST and Tata Consumer Products to create food fortification centre
India’s CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology and Tata Consumer Products Limited have signed an agreement to establish a Centre of Excellence for Food Fortification Innovation, Research and Training in Thiruvananthapuram. The centre will combine the institute’s scientific expertise with the company’s food, nutrition and product-development experience.
The CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology and Tata Consumer Products Limited will establish a Centre of Excellence for Food Fortification Innovation, Research and Training in Thiruvananthapuram. CSIR-NIIST said the centre, known as CEFIRT, would be located at its Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship Hub at the Bio 360 Life Sciences Park in Thonnakkal. The institutions signed a memorandum of understanding during the 85th CSIR Foundation Day celebrations in New Delhi on Friday.
Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh and CSIR Director General N. Kalaiselvi attended the event. According to NIIST, the centre will bring together the institute’s scientific and technological expertise with Tata Consumer Products’ experience in food products, nutrition and product innovation.
NIIST Director C. Anandharamakrishnan said collaboration between scientific institutions and industry was important for developing food and nutrition solutions that could be innovative, scalable and impactful. Vikas Gupta, Tata Consumer Products’ Global Chief Research and Development Officer, stressed the role of industry-led innovation and joint research in developing effective food fortification solutions.
The announcement did not provide a launch date, budget or details of the centre’s initial research projects. It said the proposed facility would focus on innovation, research and training in food fortification. The agreement establishes a formal partnership between the public research institution and the consumer-products company, with the stated aim of supporting work in nutrition and fortified food products.
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