There is a real need to give scientific research its true commercial meaning in the eyes of the industry. It is encouraging, therefore, to hear Warwick HRI’s new director espousing exactly that this week.

As in all walks of life, in fresh produce there can be a them-and-us attitude when it comes to boffins in the labs and the hard-nosed businessmen at the coalface.

HRI’s downward spiral in recent years may have been as much down to a lack of industry understanding of its potential worth as to its ability. The distance between the institution and the people who stood to gain most from its efforts had never been greater.

Professor Bright has a relatively clean slate. He has a leaner structure to manipulate and a lot of latent goodwill to rediscover. His aim to communicate more efficiently to the industry has to be a priority - an industry that is constantly looking for means of differentiation is inherently dependent on flourishing research bodies, and must be ready to support the re-awakening of its most important centre of scientific expertise.

Developments at Warwick have come not a moment too soon; the numbers of private research programmes expand by the year. But centralised research still has a crucial role to play; and it must be given the opportunity to thrive.