Moves to create a global agri-tech cluster in Great Lincolnshire have been given a significant boost with the award of a £1.5m grant to allow networking and growth of agri-tech start-ups, enabling them to connect with larger international agricultural and tech businesses.
Agro-Tech Global is a partnership between the Universities of Lincoln, Cambridge and East Anglia, Cambridge Enterprise and Ceres Agri-Tech. Its aim is to develop a truly global Agri-Tech cluster in the Greater Lincolnshire and East Anglia region.
Agri-Tech Global will also tackle the serious challenges faced by the industry from climate change to rising food prices and pressures within the supply chain.
Leading the project is the Lincoln Institute for Agri-food Technology at the University of Lincoln. LIAT is a truly inter-disciplinary specialist research institute bringing together sector-leading expertise in a diverse range of areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics, engineering, crop science, environmental sustainability, food manufacturing, product development and supply chains.
Professor Simon Pearson, Director of Lincoln Institute for Agri-food Technology, said: “The Greater Lincolnshire and East Anglian region has enormous potential for the development of a sustainable, affordable and forward-thinking agri-food cluster, not just for the UK but for the world.
“There are many businesses in the area, both established and start-ups, that will benefit from the development of a global network in our region, as well as being able to share best practice and open up new avenues of agri-tech research.”
Climate change is a continual concern within the Agri-food industry. The sector provides 3.9 million jobs and accounts for £129 billion of the UK economy, but this comes at the cost of being responsible for 24 per cent of national greenhouse gas emissions.
Agri-Tech Global hopes to play a major part in mitigating the damage that the sector causes to the environment by helping to create a more sustainable and economically viable future for the agri-food industry.
Partner Ceres Agri-Tech, based at Cambridge Enterprise, provides translational funding and commercialisation expertise to drive agri-tech innovation by accelerating high-quality research to market.
Director Dr Louise Sutherland said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to evolve Ceres Agri-tech from a UK to an international network.
“Agri-tech Global was formally launched in California with our key partners Western Growers and SVG Thrive. We look forward to collaborating with international partners to help exploit the global agri-tech opportunity for our universities and the region”.
