The Agri-Tech sector in the East has received a welcome boost thanks to the first grant allocations from the new Eastern Agri-Tech Growth Initiative. Created to support innovation within the Agri-Tech sector, The Eastern Agri-Tech Growth Initiative will be providing £250,000 from its £3.2 million pot to help four local businesses to deliver innovative new projects.
The successful projects are:
KisanHub – Based in Cambridge, the team at KisanHub have created a cloud-based, integrated software platform that allows farmers to make informed decisions about their day-to-day operations and markets. The funding will be used to develop and trial a Crop Yield Prediction, Irrigation and Fertiliser recommendation model that uses satellite data and meteorological information to support on the ground decisions.
Dofygate Limited – Based in Calthorpe near Norwich, Dofygate (which stands for Driver Operated Field & Yard Gate) will develop the marketplace and processes for their innovative automated farm gate system. The farm gates are solar powered and entirely self-contained, allowing them to be easily relocated as required.
Lane Farm Country Foods – Based in Brundish near Woodbridge in Suffolk, Lane Farm Country Foods will upgrade their existing production operation to bring it under one roof, increasing efficiency and enabling them to expand production. The development would also provide greater flexibility of production allowing the team to develop and expand new lines more quickly in the future.
Pangaea Agrochemicals – Based in Norwich and Cambridge, Pangaea Agrochemicals concentrates on finding solutions to pests and weeds that have become resilient to existing pesticides. The team will use the funding to develop a formulated product that can control resistant weed species using active ingredients that have had efficacy in the past. The funding will accelerate the development of this technology and allow the team to run further trials in the local area.
Mark Reeve, Chairman of the Eastern Agri-Tech Growth Initiative and the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership (LEP), explains: “Our funding has been designed to support a wide-range of businesses in the Agri-Tech sectors, from research and development of new products right through to food processing and packaging. The first round of successful grant applicants reflects the diversity of the funding we have available, and the significant positive impact it can have both on the businesses and the wider Agri-Tech community.
Mark continued: “I would encourage businesses in our local area to find out more about the grant funding we have available, and I look forward to making even more funding announcements in the near future.”
Jim Alston from Dofygate, said: “The funding provided by the Agri-Tech scheme will help enable Dofygate to develop market place acceptance for this unique, time saving product. We are aiming at the Livestock producer initially, but there are other areas where Dofygate will make the working day that much better, Agri-Tech will help us get there sooner.”
Michael Gifford from Pangaea Agrochemicals, said: “Pangaea Agrochemicals are delighted to have been awarded this grant. We have a really exciting technology that will prove vital in the battle against resistant Black-grass. The support from the Eastern Agri-Tech Growth Initiative will allow us to develop our solution to this national problem using the world-class facilities and expertise available in East Anglia.”
Ian Whitehead from Lane Farm Country Foods, said: “We are really thrilled to have been awarded this grant under the Agri-Tech programme. The money will kick start the next stage of our expansion plans creating new jobs as well as securing existing ones. We have always worked hard on the quality of our products and this grant will enable us to invest in new technology and infrastructure to help us maintain this together with the development of new lines.”
Giles Barker from KisanHub, said: “The Eastern Agri-tech grant could not have come at a better time for KisanHub. The grant will propel our R&D satellite project so we can bring innovative solutions to farmers at a field level. This will help to establish KisanHub as one of the leading companies in agriculture software. Helping farmers globally ‘grow more, using less’.”
Mark Pendlington, chairman of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership said: “We are delighted to be working with our colleagues at Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough LEP on this initiative and it is tremendous to see the first businesses in our area benefiting from these grants. We are fighting hard for the rural economy ensuring the availability of strong business support and expertise and this kind of initiative will help deliver the skills and growth that will drive the region forward.”
The Eastern Agri-Tech Growth Initiative provides grants of between £10,000 and £150,000 to businesses based in Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Norfolk, Suffolk, Rutland, North Hertfordshire, or Uttlesford. The funding has been provided by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund following a successful application submitted by the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership (LEP) alongside New Anglia LEP, Norfolk County Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, and partners.
In total, the partnership has secured £3.2 million of funding for the Agri-Tech sector that must be used by March 2015. Businesses can find out more about the Eastern Agri-Tech Growth Initiative by visiting www.agritechgrants.co.uk or calling Project Manager Martin Lutman on 01480 277180 or emailing info@agritechgrants.co.uk.
The Eastern Agri-Tech Growth Initiative team will also be at Cereals 2014 on 11th and 12th June at Duxford, and will be happy to talk people through the application process.
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