For food processing companies in the beekeeping, maple and beverage sectors
2026-2028
Following exploratory meetings with industry, academic and government experts, the Consortium RITA has identified great research potential in the honey, maple syrup and beverage processing sectors. We are therefore launching a process to co-create collaborative projects aligned with the industry's needs, in order to address common challenges. The research projects thus developed will form our sixth pre-competitive research network.
Our goal: to strengthen the position of the honey, maple syrup and beverage sectors by transforming challenges into opportunities.
The first step to better understand your challenges, issues and priorities in order to identify opportunities of common interest that the scientific community can address and develop solutions for. The success of the network depends on your participation!
We surveyed the industry to better understand your challenges, issues and priorities, and to identify common interests that the scientific community could study. We then held a co-creation workshop bringing together all stakeholders to delve deeper into the priority topics identified through our survey. Fruitful co-creation sessions highlighted a number of potential solutions, from which researchers built collaborative research projects to catalyze food innovation.听
In progress: recruitment of industry partners, preparation of agreements and funding.
Would you like to find out more about the solutions we've identified and be involved in the next stage of the project? Write to us!
FAQ
What will be the 6th network's research topics?
It's up to you, the industry! The network will consist of several projects on topics determined through co-creation (a process involving all stakeholders) and therefore tailored to the needs of the industry. Over the past year, we have developed nine research activities by selecting and refining promising ideas for solutions through industrial collaboration.
The research proposals address topics such as:
- the development of ingredients and their food applications for high value-added products and waste reduction
- the evaluation and optimization of new technologies to increase quality and preservation
- the modeling and development of tools for better process and quality control
- the development of analytical methods and the characterization of authentic products
- characterization of the microbial ecosystem and its control
- standardization of bulk container reuse practices
- and more.
If you would like more details about the proposed work and would like to be involved as an industrial partner, please write to us as soon as possible.
What is a co-creation workshop?
During the co-creation workshop, food processing companies, members of their supply chain and industry associations discuss the issues identified through our survey with researchers from a variety of complementary backgrounds. These structured discussions help us to understand collective needs and the industry context, so that together we can explore innovative solutions.
It's also an unparalleled opportunity to meet the players in the food ecosystem, and strengthen your networks!
Following the workshop, research teams were formed to build projects based on the potential solutions identified during the co-creation sessions. The Consortium RITA's Sixth Precompetitive Research Network is a research partnership that is made up of these selected projects. Industry partners will be actively involved in each of the projects in various ways: consultation, data sharing, sample collection, etc.
I would like to participate. How can I get involved?
A co-creation workshop was held by the Consortium RITA on June 11, 2025, in Drummondville, but it is not too late to join the network! To receive our post-workshop report to the co-creation and get involved in this network, write to us at consortiumrita [at] mcgill.ca.
Learn more
Information sessions are offered to detail the benefits and features of pre-competitive research, with concrete examples, for each sector. In short: significantly reduced costs compared with individual projects, support, networking, more informed decision-making, and much more.
Note: information sessions were held in French. For questions, please contact us at consortiumrita [at] mcgill.ca (subject: Sixth%20RITA%20network) and we'll be happy to help.
Honey and bee products
Please note that some information, such as timelines, may change.
Maple products
June 2nd, 2025 at 3 pm
Beverages
June 2nd, 2025 at 3 pm
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