PMCA is committed to providing quality, applicable research to its membership. If you’re interested in joining the Research Committee, please contact info@pmca.com.

  • Facilitate, promote and direct scientific research fundamental to the confectionery manufacturing issues of PMCA members.
  • In so doing, liaise with other PMCA committees, other associations and suppliers on research needs and transfer learning to the general membership.
  • Through the promotion of graduate research, encourage academic institutions to maintain a flow of high-quality research and talent to benefit the confectionery industry.
The Research Committee oversees one of PMCA’s core areas with activities promoting basic and applied scientific research for the industry.

Learn more about how the committee works by viewing its charter.

Learn more about the upcoming Cannabis in Confections & Snacks Symposium and access proceedings from the previous symposium.

A research grant is a grant-in-aid issued to support graduate research work for students seeking either a master’s or doctorate degree. It is not contract research and must meet the following criteria:

• Relevant to the PMCA membership
• Relevant to manufacturers’ problems or industry issues
• General application potential
• Fundamental, non-proprietary
• Not a topic exclusive to one member’s interests
• Graduate research (M.S. or Ph.D.)

Grant recipients may be required to present their findings to the PMCA membership at the association’s annual production conference.

Research Grant in Aid Recipients

If you are interested in learning more about PMCA research grants, contact your faculty advisor to see if your educational institution participates. If not, request that your adviser contact PMCA to inquire about participation.

Please note that research grants are different from the Graduate Fellowship for Confectionery Research at The Pennsylvania State University, which is a scholarship award exclusive to that educational institution. Research grants are awarded under separate criteria and with different deliverable outputs and rights.

The video below is provided by the PMCA Research Committee Chair as a yearly overview of the activities of the committee.

The PMCA Research committee is pleased to announce the release of their new Research Chat Podcast channel. This channel which is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Podcasts will take you inside the minds of those that do the research, support research and much more.

Check out our podcast channel and remember if you have any ideas for future research topics we are all ears!

PMCA Research Chat Podcast

Past Webinars:

  • November 2020 – Heirloom Cacao Preservation Project Update (If you are interested in accessing this webinar, please contact the PMCA office.)
  • February 2018 – Intellectual Property Protection for Innovations: An Introduction to Patent and Trademark Rights
  • October 2016 – What FSMA Means for Your Company Today
  • May 2016 – The Challenge of Formulating with Natural Colors
  • December 2014 – Heat Resistant Chocolate: Where we Have Been and Where We are Going

Do you have an idea for a webinar? Let us know — other people might be interested in your idea, too.