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Fractional Technical Leadership

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Senior Food Science & Technical Expertise Without a Full-Time Hire

Growing food and ingredient businesses often reach a point where they need experienced technical leadership but do not yet have the workload, budget or business case for a full-time Technical Director, Head of R&D or Chief Scientific Officer.

SPG Innovation provides flexible, senior-level technical leadership to help businesses develop products, overcome technical challenges, manage innovation projects and make informed decisions with confidence.

Whether you are a start-up preparing for growth, an ingredient company supporting customers, or a manufacturer tackling complex technical projects, we provide practical, hands-on support tailored to your needs.

What Is Fractional Technical Leadership?

Think of it as having an experienced food scientist and technical leader as part of your team, without the overhead of a permanent hire.

We work alongside founders, commercial teams, technical managers and R&D teams to provide strategic direction, technical expertise and independent scientific input.

Typical support includes:

  • Product development strategy
  • Ingredient selection and evaluation
  • Technical problem solving
  • Supplier and ingredient assessment
  • Innovation project management
  • Regulatory and compliance guidance
  • Customer-facing technical support
  • Grant-funded R&D support
  • Scientific review of technical claims
  • Technical due diligence for investors and partners

Who We Work With

Food & Beverage Start-Ups

Founders often have strong commercial vision but limited technical resource.

We help translate ideas into scalable, commercially viable products.

Support may include:

  • Product development roadmaps
  • Manufacturing and scale-up support
  • Regulatory assessments
  • Supplier selection
  • Technical reviews before launch

Ingredient Companies

Many ingredient suppliers need technical expertise to support customer adoption and sales.

We act as an extension of your team, helping to:

  • Develop application strategies
  • Generate technical evidence
  • Create customer-facing technical content
  • Review functionality and positioning
  • Support customer meetings and trials

Manufacturers

We support businesses seeking additional technical capacity or specialist expertise.

This may include:

  • Reformulation projects
  • Ingredient replacement programmes
  • Process troubleshooting
  • Technical documentation review
  • Independent technical advice

FoodTech & Novel Food Companies

Emerging technology businesses often need support bridging science, product development, manufacturing and commercialisation.

We can provide:

  • Scientific leadership
  • Technical strategy
  • Product development oversight
  • Regulatory readiness support
  • Investor and stakeholder communications

Flexible Support Packages

Technical Advisor

For businesses requiring occasional expertise and guidance.

Ideal for:

  • Founders
  • SMEs
  • Growing ingredient companies

Support includes regular technical reviews, project input and access to specialist expertise.

Fractional Head of R&D

For organisations requiring ongoing innovation leadership.

Ideal for:

  • Scaling businesses
  • Ingredient suppliers
  • Manufacturing companies

Support includes innovation planning, project leadership, technical decision-making and mentoring.

Fractional Technical Director

For businesses requiring strategic technical oversight.

Ideal for:

  • Established manufacturers
  • FoodTech businesses
  • Investor-backed companies

Support includes technical strategy, regulatory oversight, customer support, supplier management and innovation governance.

Why SPG Innovation?

Our team combines expertise in:

  • Food product development
  • Functional ingredients
  • Protein science
  • Extrusion processing
  • Regulatory strategy
  • Functional ingredient testing
  • Sustainable nutrition
  • Commercial scale-up

We bridge the gap between research, development, manufacturing and commercialisation, helping businesses make evidence-based decisions that accelerate growth whilst reducing technical and commercial risk.

Need Technical Expertise Without Recruiting?

Whether you need a sounding board for strategic decisions, support for a specific project, or an outsourced technical leader, SPG Innovation can provide the expertise you need, when you need it.

Available on a flexible retainer, project or advisory basis.