The Food and Drink Innovation Network gave the undisclosed sum to the co-partners working on the initiative, the Food Processing Faraday Partnership, the Food and Drink Forum and Optimat. However, the European Regional Development Fund supplied the cash via the East Midlands Development Fund.

The decision has enabled Chiefs, which was launched three years ago, to continue for a further three years. The project aims to encourage engineering firms, academic institutions and consultancies from the East Midlands to provide solutions to problems faced by UK food and drink manufacturers.

The initiative has so far engaged with 230 food processors and engineering businesses and generated £1.6M worth of orders for East Midlands engineering firms, with total potential running at £4M and growing. It has also led to the development of eight novel prototypes; linked over 40 companies with universities; placed 24 students with food companies and launched six collaborative projects, said project manager David Walklate.

"We are pleased to continue the momentum built up within the region, enabling new technologies to be developed and used by the food sector," said Walklate. "We believe this project can put many more East Midlands engineering businesses on the world stage."

He said Chiefs had got to the root of basic problems faced by its target groups. "We found food companies were too busy working at today's problems to get around to tomorrow's solutions."