TFF looks to new product development
flavours company Technology Flavors & Fragrances (TFF) drives
further into new product development in the area of cosmeceuticals,
announcing a new link up with 'middle-man' technology transfer
company UTEK, writes Dominique Patton.
The $11.5 million company said this week that the goal of the new alliance with UTEK corporation is to identify cosmetic and nutraceutical based technology acquisition opportunities.
"This relationship with UTEK is part of our strategy to position the company to proactively pursue new innovative products and to expand our technological capabilities," said Philip Rosner, chairman and CEO of the publicly traded TFF.
In November last year TFF put in a loss of $143,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 - compared to a profit for the same period in 2002 - on the back of a 5.3 per cent fall in sales. At the time the company said that increased levels of new product development activity would be a key strategy in reversing the figures. Although full details of the alliance were not disclosed, UTEK functions by serving as a bridge between business and research. In particular helping public companies to buy new technologies from universities and federal research laboratories.
According to the Association of University Technology Managers, North American universities last year spent over $31.2 billion on research which resulted in approximately 12,600 new invention disclosures.
Innovation in the competitive $12 billion flavours and fragrance industry is key to grabbing, and maintaining, market share.
