The recipients of the fifth round of funding from the UK government’s Agri-Tech Catalyst fund have been announced. Twenty-four agtech projects, with the goal of solving the most challenging agriculture problems, have been awarded shares of this round’s £16 million.
Launched in 2014 with a £70 million investment under the UK’s Agri-Tech Strategy, the Agri-Tech Catalyst fund offers economic support to collaborative projectsfrom concept to commercialization. The projects can be rooted in any sector but must hold the potential to economically strengthen the UK’s agtech industry through the sustainable intensification of agriculture.
Along with industry co-investment, the Agri-Tech Catalyst fund awards between £200,000 and £1.5 million in early stage, pre-industrial research feasibility studies, industrial research, and late stage, pre-experimental and experimental feasibility studies.
There were ten early stage projects chosen for funding. Some included in this round are:
* A project developing the next generation of weeding robots that will be able to selectively deal with specific weeds through the use of 3D sensing and learning software.
* GrassVision, a project using imaging and precision agriculture to develop a precision sprayer for broadleaf weeds in grass crops.
* A partnership working to reduce waste due to greening in potatoes
* 3D video for the early detection of tail biting in pigs.
* The low-cost early detection of swollen-shoot virus in cacao.
There were 12 industrial research projects chosen, including:
* A project using photonics to extend the flavor life and viability of UK apples.
* Automato – a project developing robotics that can perform on-crop quality and ripeness inspection on tomatoes to mitigate the increasing costs associated with seasonal labor constraints.
* A project aiming to improve farm management and water and fertilizer efficiency in the UK raspberry industry.
* The development of technology that can accurately predict greenhouse tomato output.
* A livestock genomics project to collect and analyze phenomic data from meat sheep to achieve optimal conformation.
There were two late stage projects chosen for funding in round five:
* Vydrofarm – a fully automated vertical, indoor hydroponics system applicable to both hot and cold climates that can increase crop yields by 30%.
* A project developing rubber track undercarriage systems for controlled traffic farming.
With the announcement of the fifth round recipients, Agri-Tech Catalyst has opened its sixth round for applicants with a final application deadline of October 26. However, the sixth round will focus only on international development projects and will be managed by the Department of International Development, according to Farming UK.
“This next round of the Agri-Tech Catalyst offers a fantastic opportunity to help farmers in the world’s poorest countries access the latest technology and innovation, helping them to get the tools they need to lift themselves out of poverty,” said International Development Minister, Nick Hurd. “This has the potential to not only end dependency on aid, but also develop new markets for Britain to trade with. That’s why for this round I want to see new ideas that can make a real, lasting improvement to the lives of those who desperately need it.”
The £4 million sixth round will award UK businesses and universities between £150,000 and £800,000 depending upon the scale and type of project. All early stage applicant projects should be between one year and 18 months, and up to three years for industrial research projects.
Innovate UK, formerly the Technology Strategy Board, states that all projects should aim to increase agtech adoption by farmers in developing countries and to achieve:
- a sustained reduction of poverty and hunger for smallholder farmers
- a sustainable intensification in developing country agriculture
- improvements in human health and diversity in diets and nutrition
- a positive impact on rural income and food security
- opportunities for trade in agricultural products
Strengthening the agricultural sectors of developing countries through these goals will only benefit the UK through the creation of more reliable trade partners offering more abundant and higher quality agricultural products.
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Lynda Kiernan