Amanda Johnston, Co-Director (Innovation) at the Advanced Food Innovation Centre, Sheffield Hallam University highlights the pivotal role of AFIC in the dynamic food landscape and the benefits of being part of the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park innovation ecosystem.

Can you tell us briefly about your organisation and your role in that organisation?

Set in state-of-the-art facilities, the Advanced Food Innovation Centre is an interdisciplinary research hub tackling local, national and global food system challenges – everything from farm to factory to fork.

Across dimensions of health, production, policy, communities, packaging, education, environments, research, innovation and technology, we connect our community of collaborators to transform food systems.

My role is to engage stakeholders, potential collaborators, allies and businesses of all sizes, to innovate for sustainable, equitable and healthier food systems.

How does being a part of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park help contribute to your organisation’s mission and goals?

The Park’s master plan aims to deliver whole population health and wellbeing change as well as helping to drive the economic regeneration of Sheffield and the wider city region. This aligns perfectly with Sheffield Hallam’s Transforming Lives strategy and AFIC’s position as hub for academic expertise in food system innovation to enable healthier lives and drive future economies.

Being part of the Park community amplifies external engagement opportunities and access to wider networks, partners and disciplines, all driven to contribute to impactful preventative health innovation and reduction of health inequalities.

What are the particular advantages of being part of the Park?

Food is a significant dimension of preventative health and economic growth and we get to be part of critical policy and strategy conversations, locally and nationally. Ensuring food is part of the narrative and ambition around whole population health improvement is made easier by being part of the Park.

What are the collaborative highlights of the last 12 months that have happened through being part of the Park?

A fantastic example of the added value is the visit in summer 2024 of Dame Angela McLean, Government Chief Scientific Officer. Hosted at our Hallam partner centre, the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC), we were able to showcase health and wellbeing research from across the University and more importantly, highlight collaboration across the Park to achieve the mission of reducing health inequalities. Joint events such as these showcase the connectivity in the region and serve to cement the visibility and reach on the local research and innovation ecosystem.

Looking ahead, what future opportunities do you see for your organisation as a result of being part of the Park?

The fact that both the AFIC and the AWRC are together on the Park as Sheffield Hallam University research centres, is testimony to the success of the Park’s Olympic legacy.

The variety and richness of organisations on the Park offer opportunity for meaningful collaboration and innovation that is co-created with the public.

We’re proud to bring our Food Sector expertise to the collaborative focus on sports, health and wellbeing innovation and delivery of ground-breaking solutions to some of society’s biggest health and wellbeing issues.