Under new leadership, the UK Agri-Tech Centre has revealed new access to fast-track support for UK agri-tech start-ups and scale-ups as it sets out its focus to accelerate their commercial achievement.
During a House of Lords event held on 3 February 2026, newly appointed CEO Steve McLean, previously serving as Marks & Spencer’s Head of Agriculture & Fisheries Sourcing, presented his vision for cultivating a dynamic UK agri-tech industry that strengthens agricultural sustainability and resilience.
This shift will provide crucial de-risking for investors by guaranteeing that emerging technologies meet market demands, deliver practical solutions and demonstrate commercial viability. This will be delivered through the UK Agri-Tech Centre’s access to resources enabling ventures to test, validate and demonstrate their innovations, proof-of-concept and investment returns within authentic commercial and agricultural settings.
Through facilitating robust industry connections and supply chain relationships aimed at large-scale adoption, the UK Agri-Tech Centre helps bring the best of UK agri-tech innovation to commercial deployment.
Steve McLean, CEO, the UK Agri-Tech Centre, comments: “As we enter a new technological era driven by data, automation, robotics and AI, the agri-tech sector is poised for growth. The recognition of agri-tech as a Frontier Sector in the Government’s 10-year Modern Industrial Strategy elevates its importance across the economy and sets our context and our purpose. Our goal is clear: to make the UK one of the world’s most successful environments for agri‑tech innovation, attracting and growing the most capable, impactful ventures.
We will support the agri-tech sector in achieving its full potential by accelerating the commercialisation and scale-up of UK agri-tech ventures, by enabling access to advice, connection and capabilities. Our role in supporting agri-tech ventures on their growth path will support them in achieving commercial success with viable businesses. Combining my commercial background from one of the UK’s largest retailers with experience from across the entire agri-value chain consolidates our strategic position in supporting ventures in this high-potential sector.”
Having already supported over 300 agri-tech businesses throughout the UK, the UK Agri-Tech Centre has developed a comprehensive strategy to deliver business support, test, trial and demonstration capabilities and broader sector support addressing innovation barriers, investment hurdles and international expansion. Priority areas align with the Government’s 10-year Modern Industrial Strategy, encompassing robotics and automation, advanced sensors, data and AI, controlled environment agriculture and engineering biology.
The House of Lords reception represented a centrepiece of the UK Agri-Tech Centre’s Growth Week, as part of their ‘Grow Your Own Way‘ campaign, created to help agri-tech businesses tackle barriers to growth while highlighting venture success stories.
February launches include exciting new opportunities for agri-tech enterprises: An Agri-Tech Solution Sprint, offering personalised one-to-one guidance for navigating technical and commercial obstacles and a Global Growth Accelerator, aimed at helping UK ventures scale by validating their technology in international markets, starting with New Zealand.
