Innovate UK has provided funding to enable OSY Group to expand its presence worldwide.

OSY Group, a food tech company, has secured a five-figure grant from Innovate UK Business Growth under its Global Explorers Programme to advance its flagship technology, Xtend. This reinforcement will enable the company to explore partnership opportunities and undertake research as it seeks to enter new markets in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Asia-Pacific region. Xtend is an antimicrobial packaging coating that increases the shelf-life of fresh produce and slows down spoilage by killing microbes. It has undergone extensive testing in the UK, proven to be food safe and compliant with Food Contact Materials regulations. The funding will aid the company to accelerate R&D projects to better understand how the technology can be utilised in other markets and climates.
 
Marc Braterman, the Chief Executive of OSY Group, stated that having proven the technology in the UK, the company is many endeavors to understand how Xtend can be adapted to different markets. The latest funding will enable the company to develop fresh produce in various packaging and temperatures, extending to include meats, fish, poultry, and bakery items. The company is aspiring to test the viability of new markets and to understand key variables and relevant criteria in targeted territories, as well as the regulatory environments. OSY Group is also exploring numerous overseas commercial partnerships and collaborative R&D projects with universities and industry bodies to support its expansion on a global level.  
 
Innovate UK’s Global Explorers Programme supports UK SMEs to carry out worldwide projects that will help them to exploit global opportunities and to build research and innovation partnerships internationally, accelerating innovative ideas’ commercialisation in fast-growing global markets. Andreas Johansen, Senior Innovation and Growth Specialist at Innovate UK Business Growth, revealed that OSY Group is a highly inventive firm that has already established promising connections overseas and aims to capitalise on these opportunities. Innovate UK has been supporting OSY Group’s innovative funding journey through the Innovate UK Better Food for All competition and is now delighted to offer them international opportunities.