A new regional food hub that brings small businesses together with centres of excellence in the food chain could be underway in the south east if funding can be agreed next month.

The south east region already has several local enterprise hubs which offer technology and business resource to local food start-ups through centres such as Leatherhead Food International (LFI) and Reading University.

The regional hub will expand the concept to link small food businesses in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Sussex, Surrey and Kent with existing enterprise centres in the region. These could include the University of Surrey, the University of Reading, Oxford Brookes University, Imperial College at Wye, LFI, the Horticultural Research International and the European Centre for Fruit Research in East Malling.

Meanwhile, South West Food and Drink, the regional food network, is consulting with companies on a 10-year strategic vision to help the food and drink sector which is worth £3bn a year to the local economy. It wants to hear from locally focused suppliers as well as international firms.