Agri-TechE’s September Newsletter

A UK shortage of hauliers and pickers this harvest has intensified the focus on jobs in agri-food, but the need to realign the skills-base for an increasingly digitised industry calls for a new approach to recruitment. This month’s opinion piece reflects on the appetite for change within the younger generation and the huge opportunity this creates.

Also this month:

• ‘One size doesn’t fit all’ concluded a major report on genetic technologies – we explore the implications for agriculture
• Out-of-this-world collaboration follows networking started at Agriculture 101 – gain an insider view to the industry
• Agri-Tech Express is a time-efficient way of learning and networking, with two topics this autumn: Grant-funding and the Ethics of Robotics”
• Meet our REAP Gold Exhibitors
• Agri-Tech Week is in November – first glimpse of what is in store
• DEFRA releases new funding

23rd September 13.30 – 17.00 BST

We have seen with the Covid-19 vaccine how rapidly society can gain benefits from gene editing. What could the impact be on agriculture of better alignment of legislation and innovation, within a regulatory framework that balances risks with benefits?

The current ‘one size fits all’ regulation of genetic technologies is under review in the UK with a new government report recommending a test-case to trial a new approach.

Come and hear more about innovations that could be on-farm in a few years across crop and livestock.

Book your place now.

9th September 09.30 – 15.30 BST

“I attended Ag101 a few years ago – it’s a fantastic opportunity to get together with early-stage agri-tech companies, and people from outside farming,” says Eric Hewitson, Business Development Manager at Wyld Networks, who was so inspired by the event that he joined Agri-TechE as a member. Read the story.

Find out how this overview of the industry from a range of perspectives can help you or your staff.

Book your place now.

The time horizons for investment in farming have always been long, so if you want to know what the world will look like in the future REAP is the place to find out.

Farmer-centric innovation is core to the REAP conference, and there have been many mutually-beneficial relationships forged over cups of coffee at the conference. Meet our Gold Exhibitors to find out how you could work together to improve your business.

Ensuring farmers are front and centre of the discussions has always been a priority for REAP. A number of REAP bursaries, sponsored by the AF Group, are available for farmers and those in full-time education (in agriculture or a related topic) to attend REAP 2021 at a big discount. Apply here by Oct 18th.

Big thank you to all our REAP sponsors AF Group, AHDB, BBSRC, Missouri Partnership, Rothamsted Enterprises and Savills  for their generous support.

See more information about exhibiting and participating.

15th September – 10.00 – 11.00 BST online

Innovate UK’s Smart Grants are highly over-subscribed and only the very best proposals are funded – make sure yours is one of them by gaining some advice from GrantTree. The grant funding consultancy will be discussing commonly asked questions in the next Agri-Tech Express.

Register here now to join us.

Also coming up (6th October) is an opportunity to discuss the Ethics of Robotics with David Rose of the University of Reading and hear more about the Robot Highways – one of the successful Innovate UK projects.

Register here now to join us.

New Members:  Albotherm  |  Consensus Business Group

Renewing Members:  30MHz |  Bayer Crop Science |  Ben Burgess |  B-hive Innovations |  Biocleave |  Bury Lane Farm |  Deben Agronomy |  Delta-T Devices |  Earth Rover  |  Germains Seed Technology   |  Hanway Associates |  Harvest Agri  |  Hockley Agro  |  Innovation Agri-Tech Group |  LIC UK |  Richardson Milling |  RSM |  The Sainsbury Laboratory |  Yagro

Each month we will be showcasing 6 of our members. Click on their logo to find out more about them through their member pages.

Agri-Tech Week 2021

8th – 12th November 2021

We are still finalising plans for Agri-Tech Week but, in addition to REAP, we will have a mix of virtual and in-person events hosted by organisations such as RNAA, NIAB, the Norwich Research Park and University of Reading. Make a note of the dates – more information will be on this page soon.

Fancy a discount for the World Agri-Tech Investment Summit – Sept 28th and 29th?

We are excited to be in partnership with the World Agri-Tech Investment Summit again this year, with an additional 10% discount on top of the Early Bird rate for our members to attend. You can see more here and please get in touch for your discount code!

Up to £15k of Funding for High Growth SMEs

Innovate UK EDGE has launched a programme to access up to £15,000 worth of research Under this scheme SMEs can receive up to £15,000* to spend on the services and support delivered by Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs) and the Catapult Network. To find out more, click here.

Farming Innovation Programme – first competitions to launch in October

The new programme competitions include Research Starter, Feasibility and Small R&D Partnership project strands. Farmers and growers with an exciting idea can apply for the funding. For the larger projects, a group of agri-businesses wanting to collaborate with other businesses, researchers and end users can do so to develop and commercialise an innovative product. Read more here.

The Milken-Motsepe Prize in AgriTech

The inaugural Milken-Motsepe Prize focuses on accelerating progress towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 and 2: no poverty and zero hunger. The Milken-Motsepe Prize in AgriTech is a global competition for innovative solutions to increase economic value to farmers, from seed to sale. Registration is free and open to anyone, with a $1 million grand prize available for the winning team, and $1 million in additional prizes. Find out more here.