There’s a celebratory vibe at Minerva Communications this week owing to the company winning a bid to lead and co-ordinate a multi-disciplinary EC-funded scientific research project.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for us to build on our existing heritage as a provider of excellence in effective communications training, resources and support, both in the UK and across Europe,” says Rhonda Smith, Director of Minerva and Project Co-ordinator of the new project ‘CommBeBiz – bridging bioeconomy research to business.’
By bringing together experts, key industry and policy stakeholders and the media, CommBeBiz will deliver targeted and efficient information exchange for over 500 ongoing European projects working across the ‘bioeconomy’ – food, agribusiness, fisheries, forests and biotech.
CommBeBiz will support the transfer of knowledge being generated by these projects at every stage, from initial discovery to final market application. The project – and Minerva – will therefore play a vital role in ensuring that Europe, including the UK, maintains excellence within the science and technology fields through the effective transfer of the knowledge or products generated to industry and policy.
Winning this prestigious contract is a huge triumph for Minerva, which as a local SME (small/medium-sized enterprise), was the recipient in 2012 of the Hampshire County Council-sponsored Test Valley Business Award for ‘Small Business of the Year’.
Rhonda says: “As a micro-SME, we are proud to be leading a project that will build capacity within European scientific research and without doubt create impact. Although we have already acted as partners on several EC-funded projects, this is the first time we will be co-ordinating and leading the whole project. Our success in securing this opportunity demonstrates that a small yet innovative UK company can make a difference on a global scale.”
Minerva will be working in partnership on the project with the European Business Network (EBN) and Pracsis Communications Agency, both based in Brussels, and Teagasc, the Food and Agriculture Research Agency based in Dublin, Ireland.
To ensure successful delivery of CommBeBiz, Minerva is planning to build on existing experience, knowledge and networks generated through its involvement in other EC funded research projects.