Research & Innovation

The UK Government and industry will be providing over 70 businesses and universities funding of around £16m to aid in the development of business ideas, and to boost agriculture.

Of the total funding, the government will invest £9.8m, while the remaining £6.2m will be funded by industry.

This is the third installment of the £70m Agri-Tech Catalyst, which will support around 25 projects.

Run by Innovate UK, and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the funding has supported close to 77 projects, worth nearly £60m.

Head of Agriculture and Food at Innovate UK Ian Meikle said: “The Agri-Tech Strategy aims to make the UK a world leader in agricultural technology, innovation and sustainability. The funding decisions announced today are expert-led and evidence-based.

“They support great ideas that address challenges of the future in food and farming. With business, research and government working together, these investments can unlock potential and deliver major benefits for society and the economy.”

A few of the innovative projects to have won the third round are the ‘Sunshine Egg’; which reduces vitamin D deficiency in humans by providing naturally laid chicken eggs with higher levels of the vitamin through chicken feed, 3D camera technology to identify when broccoli is ready for harvesting, environmentally friendly cooling and heating to promote enhanced living conditions for healthier chickens, and the use of satellite imagery to identify the right time for farmers to tend to their crops.

Innovate UK is the operating name of the Technology Strategy Board, the UK’s innovation agency. It funds, supports and connects innovative businesses to increase sustainable economic growth.