Michigan State University will use a grant and funding from multiple sources to open the Food Processing and Innovation Center.
The center will be a facility where established food companies with limited resources can produce their product at a low cost, with minimal risk. It will allow them to view the product, assess components that may be missing and make improvements. According to Dr. H. Christopher Peterson of the MSU Product Center, “It’s absolutely an asset for companies looking to go to market.” But, it’s an asset that has been missing.
Small to mid-size companies will be able to rent the facility for 3-10 days, build what they need, send it to market, then come back again if they need to. Taking a product to market is often a risk companies can’t afford to take, this facility minimizes that risk and gets the product out there.
When the center launches in 2016, a full-time staff of four will be needed to keep it running but, Dr. Petersen says, “The real job impact will come from the jobs that will be generated from the expansion of these companies.” Three hundreds jobs a year is an estimate of the growth the facility will provide.
Source: Dr. H. Christopher Peterson of the MSU Product Center
Author: Allison Monroe, Innovation News Editor
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