Innovative Products from Millet (and Other High Fibre Grains)Copy Link

This Open Innovation challenge, delivered by the Global Alliance Africa project, is supporting Unilever Kenya to find innovative ways to process millet (and other grains) to produce convenient, fortified consumer products. Due to this nutritious grains’ physical variability, processing can be inefficient, and there are challenges in producing preferable formats. Unilever Kenya is seeking innovative solutions beyond commonly used/existing technologies to produce millet food products with consumer appeal and zero waste, using circular economy principles. They are also open to wider use cases involving other grains.
Solutions are invited from, but not limited to, the following sectors:

• Agriculture
• Manufacturing
• Chemistry
• Biotechnology
• Design
• Health
• AI

Unilever Kenya Background
Unilever is a global company driven by a global purpose: to make sustainable living commonplace.

There are 148,000 people across the world, with over 400 brand names in 190 countries, committed to this purpose. Unilever wants to do better for our planet and our society – not just less harm. They want to act on the social and environmental issues facing the world and to enhance people’s lives with their products.

Unilever is also one of the leading suppliers of food, home, beauty & wellbeing and personal care products across East Africa for 80+ years. They are present in 5 East African countries: Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda, with 5 local factories manufacturing 81% of their products. 

A key goal is positive nutrition. Everyone deserves access to good food. Unilever is working to create a healthier, more sustainable global food system.

Challenge Background

Millet has been identified as a Future Fifty food product that will fare well with the effects of climate change. It is grown locally and may be used to produce a wide range of nutritious food products.

However due to the grain’s physical variability, processing can be inefficient, leading to challenges in producing formats that are preferable to consumers. The high fibre content of millet can also make it hard to digest. 

Innovative ways to improve the preparation and processing of millet are desired, which can replace or advance commonly used methods such as fermentation, decortication, milling, sieving, etc.

There is particular interest in ways to enhance the availability of micronutrients such as fibre, minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals. 

Unilever’s goal is producing millet food products with consumer appeal and zero waste, using circular economy principles. Solutions involving primary and secondary processing of millet (holistic solutions) will be preferred.

Millet has not featured in Unilever’s portfolio before, and they have yet to find reliable technology to produce appealing, nutritious products (such as instant porridge, cookies, noodles, etc.). They are seeking to solve 2 specific pain points:

• It is difficult to process millet to retain nutrition and maintain consistent quality
• Finding a convenient product format for consumers with an appealing taste and texture 

Applicants may focus on one or both of these issues. Key areas of interest are cereal and snacking use cases. They will consider adding diverse/additional ingredients as part of the final product offering. 
Applicants will need to offer credible information/technical data for any manufacturing technology involved. This should include end-to-end supply chain solutions, or if they do not have a complete solution, then outlining where they fit into the supply chain.
The goal is to unlock new millet production possibilities, creating a new supply chain of this nutritious, Future Fifty product. These plant-based foods that can increase dietary nutritional value and reduce environmental impacts of the food supply, promoting sustainable global food systems.

• Up to GBP 40,000 seed funding (Subject to T&C)
• Opportunity to pitch your solution to Unilever Kenya
• Collaboration/partnership with Unilever Kenya
• Technical support from Unilever Kenya team
• Mentorship programme facilitated by KTN
• Sector expertise from KTN
• Support in the development of a prototype or pilot 
• Invitation to attend or present at KTN events
• Investor introductions (if investment is required)
• Application support for any Innovate UK or similar competitions that are relevant.

The identified solution must/should address the following:

• Solution must apply to millet or other nutritious grains
• Solution must support the production of appealing consumer products
• Preference for instant, convenient products
• Solution must suit cereal and/or snacking space
• Additional ingredients will be considered 

• Solution must not significantly reduce inherent nutritional values
• Solution must follow circular economy principles
• Solution may be delivered by external contractor or via in-house technology
• Please detail basic engineering requirements

• Solution should operate in context of normal temperatures and humidity
• Solution should be applicable during normal working hours
• Versatility and capacity to scale are desirable
• Solution may be integrated at any point in supply chain

01 Dec 2023 – Competition launch 
15 Dec 2023 – Information session/Q&A (date TBC)
31 Jan 2024 – Deadline for applications
Feb 2024 – Selection and notification of finalists
Mar 2024 – Pitch day & selection of winner
Apr 2024 – Collaboration discussions
May 2024 – Pilot programme activated

• The solution’s operation should have the potential to be cost-effective in terms of ROI 
• Winning solution providers may become long-term partners, gaining access to Unilever supply chains
• Opportunities for external contractors and/or in-house technical arrangements
• The opportunity may later extend beyond millet/grains to other ingredients also

Proposed solutions may not be viable if they are:

• Commonly/previously used industrial processes
• Unsuitable for Millet or grain processing
• Unable to produce reliable quality outputs
• Unable to use Circular Economy thinking
• Unsuitable for Kenyan market conditions

Entrants to this competition must be:

• Established businesses, start-ups, SMEs, academics or individual entrepreneurs
• Africa-based entrants, UK-based entrants and those from RoW are invited to apply

Due Diligence requirements for seed funding:

• UK applicants must ensure that receiving the £40k seed funding will not exceed the £315,000* state aid threshold under UK Minimal Financial Assistance regulations over the current and last 2 fiscal years [or *200,000 euros for applicants affected by EC de minimis regulations]
• Further information will be required later relating to company policies, financial history and recent grant funding received.

Applications will be assessed on:

• Relevance to the topic
• Innovative nature of the subject
• Coherence of the proposed business model
• Feasibility/ economic viability
• Development potential
• Maturity of project/solution
• Ability to launch project quickly/Ease of implementation
• Price/quality ratio
• Suitability for the Kenyan Market

• Existing background IP associated with a potential solution will remain with Solution Provider(s). Where any new IP generation is envisaged, it will be subject to the mutual IP agreement of the Solution Provider(s) and Innovation Challenger.
• Any commercial deployment of a transferred solution or newly developed solution, through licensing, joint venture, partnership or direct investment, will be subject to the commercial agreement between the Solution Provider(s) and Innovation Challenger.
• Where necessary, a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) may be signed to uphold confidentiality in the engagement between the Solution Provider(s) and Innovation Challenger. (This would be expected to be after company selection. It is suggested that details of IP not be disclosed initially. Focus on the outcomes of the technology proposed).
• KTN does not take any share of IP ownership or enter into commercial ventures through the iX programme.

A selected panel of assessors will review and score your application. The panel of assessors will meet and agree a consensus score. Selected applicants will be invited to pitch to the Challenge Holder. Success will be based upon total consensus scores, a portfolio approach and capacity within the challenge holders to carry out the projects.  

• The application form for this challenge will require applicants to provide company information and answer 3 questions - Idea Summary, Technology Readiness and Intellectual Property – each with a limit of 300 words.
• Optionally, supporting documents can be attached to the application. We recommend that supporting documents are limited to those which are directly relevant to the application. Please note that applications with no supporting document will not receive any penalty in assessment. Supporting documents which the Assessment Panel deems to be superfluous may be disregarded. Examples of useful additional documents include product images or short specification sheets, slide decks detailing the solution and/or company background, or solution case studies.
• We recommend that you complete the application form in Google Chrome as other browsers may have compatibility issues. The application form does not need to be completed in one session and can be saved for future edits. Please ensure that you toggle “Stage Complete” for each section before submission. Note that you will no longer be able to edit your application once you have clicked “Submit Idea” at the bottom of the Summary page.