Since launching in 2019, the Nestlé R&D Accelerator has gathered experts from the company, graduates, students and startups to work together on turning science and innovative concepts into new product solutions.

The Nestlé R&D Accelerator is a global initiative launched in April 2019 at Nestlé Research in Lausanne, Switzerland. Since then, more than 30 teams completed the R&D Accelerator program by taking product concepts to store shelves in just six months.

“We foster creative entrepreneurship behaviour and provide the teams access to scientific, technical and business expertise, to prototyping and mini-production technologies, and everything that is required for their route to market“, says Tom Wagner, Head of Nestlé’s global R&D Accelerator initiative.

Nestlé R&D Accelerator Innovative Products

One of the R&D Accelerator’s team launched a product building on Nestlé proprietary research identifying new natural bioactive ingredients that can reduce fatigue. They showed that combining micronutrients with a natural olive extract supports muscular energy and allows the body to use its full potential without adding calories to the muscle. The product is currently available in Italy as part of a limited shop test.

The R&D Accelerator has also just launched the first nutritional solution that addresses motivation. The product contains a combination of selected vitamins and the supplement form of a naturally occurring amino acid. The innovative solution promotes the production of glutathione, a powerful antioxidant produced by the body, that has been scientifically proven to be associated with motivation control and energy production. It is sold in France as a food supplement, in selected pharmacies and shops and online platforms.

Another innovative product the R&D Accelerator brought to the market is a superfruit smoothie range that supports immunity, protection and energy. Working with a Swiss start-up founded by two entrepreneurial gastroenterologists, the product contains superfruits selected for their nutrient density and proven health benefits, leveraging the different scientific expertise of the start-up and Nestlé. The team successfully tested the product range in selected supermarkets in Switzerland.

The Mission

Isabelle Bureau-Franz, Head of Nestlé Research, says, “Our R&D Accelerator brings some of our discoveries to the shelves in only six months, helping us to move fast. With great passion and agility, we deliver innovations embracing consumer needs and desires while continuing to broaden and strengthen our scientific work and focus on long-term projects.“

Nestlé is extending the R&D Accelerator initiative to multiple markets and across product categories, and more accelerated science-driven innovations are expected to launch soon.

For more information:

More information on
Nestlé R&D Accelerator Website

For Media contact:
Melanie Kohli, R&D Communications
Tel.: +41 21 785 9515

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