FOOD analytics looking at nutrition, taste and provenance using one of the world's most sophisticated laboratories, will be the research centrepiece of the Western Australian Food Innovation Precinct (WAFIP) at Nambeelup.
Murdoch University will run the research and development facility, one of three components that together will comprise the $21.7 million WAFIP which is expected to open in the middle of next year as the third major development in stage one of Peel Business Park.
A collaboration between State and Federal governments and the Murray Shire council, WAFIP will be next to the $33.16m Department of Fire and Emergency Services Karla Katitjin Bushfire Centre of Excellence that opened last year and opposite a solar array producing power for a micro grid to service the 120 hectare first stage of the business park.
Federal Canning MP and assistant Defence Minister Andrew Hastie, State Regional Development, Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan, Murray-Wellington MLA Robyn Clarke and Murray Shire president David Bolt jointly turned the first sod to mark start of construction of the WAFIP last Thursday morning.
Apart from the research and development facility, the other core components will be an innovation centre and a production warehouse open to third-party start-up to mid-sized agribusinesses.
Ms MacTiernan said the State government had committed to spend $10m to develop the Peel Food Technology Facility within WAFIP - a 600 square metre manufacturing space to allow producers to develop and test new value-added food products.
In partnership with the Shire of Murray the government had also committed $2.5m towards a $3.85m Enterprise Support Program to help activate the precinct, she said.
Through the Enterprise Support Program, grants of up to $200,000 in dollar-for-dollar co-funding will be available to agribusinesses to support access to innovation opportunities, leading-edge research capabilities, incubation space and technologies through the WAFIP.
Applications for Enterprise Support Program grants are now open on the Shire of Murray's WAFIP website.
Ms MacTiernan confirmed Murdoch University would run the research and development facility and deliver a Food Science and Nutrition bachelor of science degree from the WAFIP.
She said Singapore-based sustainable agriculture company GrowHub had signed a lease to operate the WAFIP Innovation Centre which she described as "a one-stop shop for agribusinesses and entrepreneurs featuring co-working spaces, consulting services and industry support".
Spinifex Brewery will run the WAFIP warehousing facility and establish their brewery at the precinct, she said.
Ms MacTiernan said WAFIP intended to be "a centre of excellence" to enable commercial research and development, prototype and market testing of food and beverage products and networking for WA food producers.
"This precinct will be a game-changer for the WA food and beverage sector, creating better and more diverse products through research and development and expanding WA's food and beverage market share both nationally and internationally, " Ms MacTiernan said.
"This is a great example of State, Federal and local government working with industry and universities to drive local jobs and local industry."
Mr Bolt told last Thursday's construction start ceremony that an Expert in Residence: X-Protein Lab initiative would be delivered through WAFIP.
Experts from Singapore and Australia will support start-up businesses to overcome challenges to growth in the "alternative protein industry", Mr Bolt said.
"Start-ups are currently being identified and over a period of 12 months, the experts will provide practical guidance and advice on commercialisation of intellectual property, product development, technology sourcing, regulatory approval systems, as well as markets, customers and adopting an ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) focus.
"They will further create growth, collaboration and networking opportunities, link start-ups to the global and regional agri-food financing ecosystem and improve commercial opportunities through international exchange."
Mr Bolt said experience from the WAFIP X-Protein Lab would "inform" the design of a joint accelerator program with Singapore, an initiative supported by the Federal Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources and the Peel Development Commission.
He said WAFIP would "tackle three key challenges" - scaling up of agribusinesses, product creation and diversification through commercial research and development and capturing a greater market share for WA food and beverages.
"Economic modelling indicates that the WAFIP could increase Western Australia's food and beverage sector output between one and three per cent in the first five years of operation," Mr Bolt said.
"This equates to between 17 and 51 new food businesses delivering benefits to the State's economy, including growth in its food and beverage sector output by between $110m and $330m, injection of between $245m and $737m in other economic sectors, direct job creation of between 169 and 506 jobs and indirect job creation of between 323 and 977 jobs."
- As previously reported, in 2016 the State government committed $49.3m in Royalties for Regions funding to the first stage of Peel Development Commission's 30-year Transform Peel program, with $45.2m of that funding allocated to services provision for the Peel Business Park, of which the WAFIP is part of stage one development.
The business park is ultimately proposed to cover about 1000ha and butt up to the 42,000ha earmarked as Peel Food Zone under the Transform Peel program.
