Monash Food Innovation (MFI) has partnered with global product intelligence platform Vypr to give students, researchers and industry partners access to real-time consumer insights as part of the product development process.
Students enrolled in Monash University’s Master of Food Science and Agribusiness programme are already using Vypr in their FSC5051 Innovation, Consumer Behaviour and Food Marketing unit, integrating the platform into final project submissions this semester.
The partnership shifts the standard teaching model, which typically asks students to develop a product concept before considering consumer response. Under the new approach, consumer insight is built into the process from the outset – a methodology MFI describes as closer to how high-performing food and FMCG businesses actually operate.
Around 100 students each year will use Vypr’s professional-grade research tools, many for the first time, with MFI positioning this as practical preparation for commercial roles in the sector.
MFI general manager, Rod Heath, said the persistent challenge in food and FMCG product development is the gap between technical performance and market relevance.
“A product can pass every sensory and stability benchmark and still miss the mark commercially. MFI exists to close the gap between what food science makes possible and what the market actually needs.
“That’s true for the students we teach and for the businesses we work with, and this partnership with Vypr strengthens our ability to do that in a very practical way.
“It means the work that happens here in classrooms, in labs and on industry projects, is more grounded in commercial reality than ever. That’s not just good for MFI. It’s good for the Australian food industry,” Heath said.
Beyond the classroom, MFI works directly with businesses across Australia’s food sector, from start-ups and SMEs through to multinationals. Vypr’s platform is now available as part of MFI’s industry project offering, giving business partners a route to consumer data before committing to development or launch investment.
The two organisations will also collaborate on research methodologies linked to agile product testing, with the aim of developing best-practice frameworks and educational materials for the broader food and FMCG industry.
Vypr International Chief Revenue Officer, Sam Gilding, said, “Food and FMCG teams are under pressure to move faster than ever. But speed-to-market is only valuable when it’s guided by clarity. Too often, product development happens in a vacuum, with teams spending months perfecting something before they’ve heard a single consumer reaction.
“At Vypr, we believe it should work more like a rapid prototype loop: test early, learn fast and keep refining. Partnering with the pioneering Monash Food Innovation hub is a way to bake that mindset into Australia’s next generation of food innovators, and to help lift the standard of how we do product research in this market.”
Vypr is a mobile-first consumer insights platform combining research tools with engaged consumer communities. MFI is based at Monash University’s Clayton campus and works across new product development, packaging, consumer insights, market validation and strategic implementation.
