25 November 2008 - The European Sensory Network (ESN*) has offered a new industry network partnership since the spring of 2008. This partnership aims at intensifying the contacts between sensory and consumer experts and the appropriate industry representatives. Up to this point 15 enterprises from a variety of consumer industries have already joined, and the ESN will soon launch the first collaborative projects.
The upcoming projects of the ESN-Industry Partnership Research Programme are being funded collaboratively by ESN institute members and their ESN industry partners. At a recent network meeting at the University of Copenhagen ESN institute members presented three detailed project proposals which had been selected from a list of approximately one dozen suggestions presented to the ESN industry partners earlier in the year. Two of these have been selected as priority projects:
1) The Memorability of Food and of Eating Situations
2) Predicting Product Success by a Situational Approach
Work on these projects will start in January 2009 and will be finished within one year. The results will be first made available to all ESN members and partners so that they have the first opportunity to make use of the findings. ESN will then publish the results 12 months later.
ESN members and ESN-industry network partners will be encouraged to use the networking opportunities of the partnership to develop further collaborative private and group research projects involving one or more industry partner(s) and two or more ESN member(s). The results of such projects will be restricted to research project partners only.
The ESN Industry Network Partnership aims at the continuing exchange of information concerning sensory research issues. It should serve as a platform that allows that industry representatives to have direct contact with leading international sensory and consumer research experts. David Lyon, ESN co-founder and industrial advisor to the expert network emphasizes that, „ESN-Industry Network Partnerships allow industrial companies and ESN members increased networking opportunities, thereby encouraging the organic growth of sensory and consumer sciences in an industrial context through personal discussions and debate.“
It is still possible to join the ESN Industry Network Partnership. This includes both food and non-food industries. Interested companies may contact the ESN chairman via the ESN website.
*The European Sensory Network (ESN) is an international association of experts in the fields of sensory and consumer research. Two important aims of the ESN are to improve sensory and consumer research methodology and promote the direct application of sensory analysis methods within the industry.
