ONE SeedPod food and drink hub works starts at Craibstone
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Work to create ONE SeedPod – the transformational industry innovation hub for Scotland’s food and drink industry – has started in Aberdeen, following the completion of the capital funding package and award of the construction contract.
Opportunity North East (ONE) is leading and delivering the Aberdeen City Region Deal innovation project to create the new space, facilities, programmes and entrepreneurial environment for a key growth sector of the economy on Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) Craibstone Campus.
ONE SeedPod is a £27 million investment to enable manufacturing and production businesses to lead in innovation, productivity, sustainability, and developing foods of the future. To increase premium exports and create high-value jobs.
Robertson Construction is the main contractor, and ONE SeedPod is scheduled to open in late 2024.
The project includes £10 million of capital funding from the UK Government and Scottish Government via the Aberdeen City Region Deal (ACRD) – a partnership between the governments, ONE, Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council. ONE has committed £5.4 million and set up Food Hub (NES) Limited to take the capital project forward. ONE secured £3.1 million for ONE SeedPod from the Just Transition Fund in 2022, and Scottish Enterprise has now confirmed £2 million. Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) is a strategic partner and providing the site for ONE SeedPod.
Food and drink businesses and partners hailed the project as game-changing for the sector, which employs more than 22.000 people in north east Scotland with an annual turnover of £2.2 billion.
David Kilshaw OBE, who chairs the Food Hub (NES) board, said: “The ONE SeedPod industry innovation hub will put food and drink businesses at the forefront of product and process innovation, low-carbon high-value manufacturing, as well as the development of premium markets for consumer-led foods of the future.
“The unique combination of commercial facilities, sector knowledge, insights and expert networks in ONE SeedPod will stimulate ambition, nurture the next generation of high-growth start-ups, and accelerate scale-up.
The hub sits at the heart of this significant food-producing region and will be a national asset for the sector,” said Mr Kilshaw.
Adrian Gillespie, Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise, said: “Food and drink is Scotland’s top international export sector and a huge opportunity area for the future.
"ONE SeedPod will accelerate its growth and competitiveness by providing the ecosystem, infrastructure and expertise that will give companies the very best chance of success and scale.”
Andrew Lacey, Vice Principal – Commercial, SRUC said: “As the construction of ONE SeedPod begins, we are taking a significant step closer to launching this exceptional collaboration at SRUC Craibstone Campus.
"The innovative project opens the door to facilitate vital collaboration between business, research and education by sharing a campus location with SRUC, providing product development, demonstration and incubator facilities as well as offering roles co-funded by project partners to support entrepreneurs and businesses. "
