THYME

The partnerships

The bioeconomy – the production of renewable biological resources and their conversion into food, feed, energy, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and other materials – is estimated to be worth £220 billion GVA in the UK alone. The Government's Industrial Strategy has ambitious targets to double the size of the UK bioeconomy by 2030.

THYME is a collaboration between the Universities of Teesside, Hull and York to establish a world-leading bioeconomy region across Yorkshire, Humberside and the Tees Valley.

It is funded by Research England via its Connecting Capability Fund and includes five core streams of activity:

• Proof-of-concept and challenge-fund based projects combining academic and industry expertise
• Secondments between the institutions to develop change agents who understand and promote knowledge exchange
• A toolkit for bioeconomy partnerships, with best practice guides, template research and IP agreements, outreach materials and case studies
• A programme of workshops, bootcamps and resources to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation
• Cluster development activities to drive collaboration and sharing of ideas, expertise and experience through special interest groups and events.

The impact

THYME is working to support the Government’s ambitious 2030 goal. By building on the North of England’s existing bioeconomy assets, the project is working to boost the regional economy, create jobs and deliver major environmental benefits for the region.

To date, THYME has funded almost £250,000 in projects supporting the bioeconomy, including 6 proof of concepts, 24 research partnerships and a research fellowship at Teesside University. The results of these projects are having a direct impact on industry through partnerships with the likes of Unilever, Quorn and GlaxoSmithKline.

If you’re interested in opportunities to contribute to the THYME project, please email business@tees.ac.uk or call 01642 384068