The Jim Mount Centre is a collaborative venture between NRI and East Malling Research (EMR). It combines EMR's facilities and expertise on UK horticulture with NRI's expertise on tropical crops. Neil Hipps the Business Development Manager at EMR said that the partnership between EMR and NRI would create the "widest ranging post-harvest research with the best facilities in the country". The NRI offers expertise on vegetables and tropical fruit as well as training, food science and safety, market economics and biochemistry while EMR will bring its storage and field facilities, extensive post-harvest knowledge and fresh produce links to the table. At a top fruit storage day held at EMR Neil Hipps of EMR said there was a greater need now than ever for such a venture with the loss of agrochemicals, increased focus on carbon footprinting, demand for lengthy shelf life and improved eating quality, increased focus on waste and packaging and the ever-growing issue of UK production and food security.
Both organisations have recognised the need for collaboration to provide a better service to the UK fresh produce industry and already have an excellent track record of working together in other areas of research.