We have successfully finalised our Mildtech EIC Accelerator project, which has had a total duration of 32 months (running from Dec 2019 to July 2022). Despite the challenges, disruptions and uncertainties posed by Brexit, the global covid-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine, we have managed to overcome these, thanks to the resilience of our team and the support and flexibility of the funding body in granting us project extensions.
Over the course of the project, we have been able to design, build and optimise our novel cooking/drying machines (in industrial, catering, and domestic formats). Our machines can also be smartly controlled thanks to a deep-tech PAT (process analytical technology)-enabled control system, and a scalable library of recipes that help to automate optimal cooking and drying of a whole variety of popular and new foods. We have also filed two patent applications that embody a combination of the key novelties, which will help to moat our technology from the competition in the future. In short, thanks to invaluable EU support through the Horizon 2020 European Programme for Research and Innovation, we have been able to accelerate the development of our technology and we are pioneers of a new way of cooking and drying foodstuff that entails milder and shorter processing times, lower energy consumption, the safeguarding of organoleptic properties and better nutritional features. We set up the manufacturing and quality control processes, secure our supply chain, and we have also generated the interest of early adopters and first clients (many of whom we have had the opportunity to demonstrate our machines to over the course of the project).
We are now ready for market, and we intend to commercialise our machines under the trademarked 'Mildtech' brand. Thanks to the platform that the EIC programme has raised us to, it also opened new opportunities for our company, whereby for example in July 2021 we were selected as one of just 10 UK companies to be part of the EIT Food Accelerator Network, that connects businesses with industry-leading corporate and research partners to pilot their technology and drive a successful market adoption. The programme involved 10 weeks of comprehensive mentoring in business related activities and in commercialisation strategies, which we found particularly valuable. Over the course of the project, thanks to the acceleration and close to market activities that we have been able to perform, we have been able to generate significant interest among the food industry in our Mildtech technology, from large global food brands to small-scale producers and caterers alike. Moreover, we have identified opportunities to extend the application of our technology to industries beyond food, such as nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and recycling.
