Government issues €6.9m tender for Marsa Food Innovation Hub

The Government has published a design and build tender for a Food Innovation Hub in Marsa, calling on interested companies to submit their bids.

The hub, which was also a Government electoral pledge, aims to provide a professional research and training environment that encourages innovation and sustainability in agriculture and fishing, and the tender has an estimated value of €6.9 million, excluding VAT.

This project is being implemented by the Malta Food Agency (MFA) which advises on, and implements, Government policy in sales and marketing of local produce, and also operates the main markets of Pitkalija, Pixkerija and the Farmers Market.

A planning application for the hub, which would be located on Triq il-Biċċerija, Marsa, was approved in 2025. The tender documents mention that the overall architectural design is complete and forms part of this tender, but notes that the internal layout shall be used for guidance purposes, and the winning contractor may provide an alternative design subject to the approval of the final design by the contracting authority.

A project report that was submitted as part of the approved planning application notes that the MFA intends to create a Food Incubation Hub on the first floor (circa 1,200sqm) of the Pixkerija in Marsa, that is already constructed.

This concept entails the creation of a ‘food space’ for food producers who wish to experiment with new ingredients or products to process and add value to their produce.

Once operational, a trained producer can book a unit/machinery to be able to develop their products/ideas for a period of time, it read.

The hub “will establish a sustainable food system by integrating the food supply chain with educational initiatives while advocating for quality, traceability, and credibility in locally sourced foods. It will offer dedicated kitchens, office spaces, lecture rooms and a food testing lab. The vision is to encourage experimentation, scaling up for startups, and facilitating kitchen trials for new product development and R&I with minimal capital costs for users," the report read.

Featured image: Planning application