Regional programme helps boost innovation for the horticulture industry
Simon Barnes has been named as the new director of Growing Kent & Medway, a programme that drives sustainable innovation in the horticulture, food and drink sector.
Barnes joins Niab from the University of Kent, where he was responsible for developing strategic business partnerships.
The appointment follows Dr Nikki Harrison’s departure earlier this month to take on a new leadership role in the Netherlands.
Since its inception in 2021, Growing Kent & Medway has invested £8.6mn into cutting-edge facilities to boost the region’s research capabilities, allocated £3.9mn in grant funding, and supported over 224 individual businesses with 12 hours of support or more than £1,000 in funding.
Working with all aspects of the horticultural, food and drink supply chain, Barnes will oversee the continued growth of the regional project, ensuring it has a national impact on the sustainability of UK food and farming systems.
Niab CEO Mario Caccamo said: “Growing Kent & Medway’s success over the last four years is a result of its focus on investing in the creation of an innovation ecosystem; aligning research institutions, industry, funders and policy makers to build new partnerships and develop new thinking.
“Simon’s background in building successful, sustainable value chain collaborations means he is ideally suited to continue this mission and to create new opportunities for the project to grow and develop into the future.”
Barnes has a degree in international transport from the University of Cardiff, and a diploma in sustainable business from the University of Cambridge, as well as extensive experience building collaborations across different sectors, from farming to advanced manufacturing.
He will begin his tenure at Growing Kent & Medway on 2 June 2025, based at Niab’s East Malling site.
Barnes said: “Food security, health and nutrition, environmental sustainability, and economic growth are rightly top of the political agenda. By connecting cutting-edge research capabilities and the latest academic thinking with the industry supply chain, we will continue to drive innovation across all those areas.
“I’m looking forward to building international links with partners in the Netherlands and wider afar, and continuing to deliver facilities, knowledge and talent to build on the legacy of the programme. I’d like to thank Research England and UKRI for their ongoing commitment to the project and the team for their work to date, demonstrating what impact can be leveraged with innovative, regional investment.”
