News Category: News

World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit 2024: Agri-tech organisations driving innovation and economic growth

Agri-tech organisations driving innovation and economic growth

October 1, 2024 No Comments

UK agri-tech firms were playing a crucial role in the transformation of farming and were an important driver of economic growth, the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit was told. With a range of speakers over two days in London (September 31 and October 1), the UK Agri-Tech Centre had a major presence at the event. The UK Agri-Tech Centre chief executive Phil Bicknell hosted a roundtable looking at agri-tech growth and how the sector could tackle emerging challenges. With a range of participants around the table, from international agri-tech experts to UK-based SMEs, Mr Bicknell emphasised the important role the UK Agri-Tech Centre had to play in bridging the gap between academic research and on-farm adoption. This built on positive comments by Government Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Daniel Zeichner, who, during a keynote address to the conference, praised the role agri-tech organisations were playing in driving innovation and growth in the wider agriculture sector. Mr Bicknell said: “The World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit is an event that brings together Government and industry and has been great to meet colleagues from Innovate UK, Defra and the Department for Business and Trade. It was important to speak directly to Daniel Zeichner and reinforce the role the UK Agri-Tech Centre is playing in terms of tackling the big issues of food systems resilience and wider agricultural productivity, which ultimately feed into the food security challenge. Speaking to businesses at the event it was clear that clarity over the regulatory environment is key moving forward. That clarity is so important because it grows business confidence, which ultimately drives investor confidence in the sector.” And he added that the ambitions of the sector were far reaching.   “We are trying to make sure that more money comes into the sector from private investors. There has been a reliance on grant funding but there is scope to look at how we get more private sector money into this area.” Mr Bicknell said If you want to learn more about the economic growth, the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit or want to work with us, please get in touch at [email protected]

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British Society of Animal Science 2024

April 12, 2024 No Comments

The UK Agri-Tech Centre took part in this year’s BSAS. Hannah van Zanten from Wageningen University presented on the topic of ‘Livestock in a Circular Economy’, discussing a number of modelled examples to illustrate the effects of circular food systems

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Growth and ambition for UK agri-tech alongside a ground-breaking Centres’ merger

October 16, 2023 No Comments

The UK Agri-Tech Centre’s Accelerating Innovation Conference showcased the value of agri-tech innovation, research and development to the agri-industries and wider UK economy. Supporting the Government’s aspiration for the UK to be a Science and Technology Superpower.  A key highlight of the conference was the Minister of State for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, George Freeman MP’s reconfirmation of the government’s commitment to the agri-industries. As well as recognising the pivotal role that agri-tech innovation has to play in UK economic growth.  During his speech, the Minister said: The merger of three Agri-Tech Centres is about enabling long-term stability and security for the sector. We want to develop UK expertise, deliver support for fast-growing companies, and attract global investment. Including the global funds that we know want to invest in UK agri-tech.  The combined Centres, which we have invited to put forward a proposal to become a new Agri-Tech Catapult, will be an anchor for that investment and enable all the different areas within the sector, from horticulture to husbandry and arable, to draw on ground-breaking research that’s coming through from engineering- biology and AI, across the Catapult network and beyond, in the UK and globally. The merger of the Centres will provide a major boost to agri-tech innovation in a sector estimated to be worth £13bn to the UK economy by 2027. Speaking after the conference, CEO of Innovate UK, Indro Mukerjee said:  The agri-tech ecosystem is fundamental to our economy; we now have an exciting opportunity to accelerate our ability to meet these global challenges and opportunities. We have come a long way towards delivering on our ambitions for this critical sector. The conference today gave a new depth to the value of the merger of the three Centres. Meeting their expert teams and hearing direct from the businesses and the agri-tech community they support, really brought alive what is possible and why now. In developing the plan to become a Catapult, the new organisation will facilitate stronger cross-sectoral working and systems-wide approaches to agri-sector expansion opportunities and sector challenges. It will also enable the sharing of knowledge and learnings across the whole ecosystem and provide access to business support in order to boost the development and adoption of agri-tech solutions.   The proposed Catapult will build on the successes of the Centres’ work over the past seven years. During this time, three of the Agri-Tech Centres (now the UK Agri-Tech Centre) have provided an ecosystem for agri-tech to be researched, developed and tested in response to some of the most critical global R&D priorities, working on 350 collaborative R&D projects involving over 500 businesses – from start-ups to global corporates – and delivering a value of £100m to the sector.  Speakers from the three merging Agri-Tech Centres – Agri-EPI Centre, CHAP and CIEL – outlined how plans to become a single organisation are developing at pace, detailing how the merger will deliver huge benefits to the agri-industries sector, and to the wider UK economy. By combining the Centres’ UK-wide capabilities, with their world-class research facilities, investment and innovation expertise and extensive networks, the new business will be a hub for innovators to thrive. It will also provide advice and coordination to access critical funding and wider Innovate UK programmes, such as Horizon Europe and the Farming Innovation Programme. Following the Conference, Fraser Black, CEO CHAP, said:  Our conference has showcased the huge value agri-tech innovation delivers for the UK agri-industries. We’re delighted to have the support of the Minister of State for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, George Freeman MP, flying the flag for the significance of R&D and innovation in growing the wider UK economy. “We are excited to have shared our merger plans with current and future partners.  By combining to form a single business, we will boost UK agri-tech and accelerate the development and commercial adoption of proven, viable and sustainable solutions. This will help the agri-industries – across arable, livestock, horticulture, forestry and aquaculture – meet the challenges of securing humanity’s necessities while protecting people, the planet and its resources.   If you have any questions about the UK Agri-Tech Centre, please contact [email protected]

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