All of the projects that have been funded to date by the £70 million Agri-tech Catalyst have been showcased in a new map. Using the map you can filter all 77 projects by category (crops, livestock, precision agriculture, and aquaculture) and then click on a pin to find a description of each project and its partners. In addition to the map, a brochure created by UKTI is available to download with project descriptions, project partners’ websites, and sector statistics. The Catalyst round 4 projects will be announced in the near future and added to the map.
As part of a new series of blogs on new agricultural technologies, the Agri-tech team has released a new blog on Catalyst projects that are exploring the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), robotics, and big data. Look out for forthcoming blogs on new technologies for livestock farming, and crop science.
A new Agri-tech Strategy website, on GOV.UK, is now live. The website includes information on the Strategy and the Leadership Council; guidance on the Centres of Agricultural Innovation and the Agri-tech Catalyst; and all funding announcements from the Strategy.
Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) agri-tech case studies
For the Milan Expo, the LEP network produced three case studies of agri-tech firms operating in the UK. The case studies highlighted Fullwood Ltd who has been developing innovative solutions to making dairy production faster, more reliable, and efficient for generations. Kisanhub, based in Cambridge, are aggregating public big data and private operational records into a user friendly dashboard so that farmers can make decisions that will reduce input costs boost returns, and improve food security. Masham Micronized Feeds have developed innovative feeds for livestock that led to the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the innovation category in 2008.
Find out more about each project here: Fullwood Ltd, Kisanhub, Mahsam Micronized Feeds
New Agri-tech Innovation Centres named
Four Centres for Agricultural Innovation are now being funded through the Agri-Tech Strategy. The first Centre to be established, AgriMetrics, focusses on ‘big data’ and was launched in October 2015. It has a headquarters at Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire and a new CEO has now been appointed, David Flanders. The other consortium partners are University of Reading, NIAB and SRUC.
The three further Centres are:
- Centre for Crop Health and Protection (CHAP) - £21.3 million government investment to revolutionise how farmers manage crop threats including pests and disease, both in the UK and overseas. The Centre will have its headquarters in York at the National Agri-food Innovation Campus in Sand Hutton.
- Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL) - £29.1 million government investment to create new livestock technology and products to boost the profitability and productivity of livestock farming. The Centre will have its headquarters in York at the National Agri-food Innovation Campus in Sand Hutton.
- Agricultural Engineering Precision Innovation Centre (Agri-EPI) - £17.7 million government investment in the new, fast-moving market of precision agriculture to help the UK’s agri-food sector develop advanced technologies that will increase productivity and sustainability in UK agriculture. The Centre will have hubs in Edinburgh, Harper Adams University and Cranfield University.
NFU talking agricultural innovation and knowledge exchange
2015
- 12 October – Innovation in Agri-tech, London – Royal Academy of Engineering (NFU Chief Science and Regulatory Affairs Adviser, Helen Ferrier speaking)
- 14 October – Next Steps for the Agri-tech Strategy, London – Inside Government (NFU Chief Land Management Adviser, Sam Durham, speaking)
- 22 October - Next Steps for UK agricultural technologies, London – Westminster Forum (NFU Chief Land Management Adviser, Sam Durham, speaking)
- 11 November - REAP 2015 Realising our Economic and Agricultural Potential: Resilience through Innovation, Cambridge – AgriTech East (NFU President, Meurig Raymond, keynote address)
2016
- 27 January - Scientific innovation in food and agriculture - policy priorities, research and regulation, London, Westminster Forum (NFU Chief Science and Regulatory Affairs Adviser, Helen Ferrier speaking)
- 9 March- Defra's Data: Opening up the Treasure Trove- Agritech East (NFU Chief Science and Regulatory Affairs Adviser, Helen Ferrier chairing the event)
- 21-22 June N8 AgriFood launch conference, Manchester. NFU Chief Science and Regulatory Affairs Adviser Dr Helen Ferrier will speak in the session “Farming behaviours: working together”