AgriScale, The Future of Food, and get ready for REAP!
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Agri-TechE's October Newsletter

And we're off: Agri-Tech Week 2025 is underway - our biggest yet, with events across the UK spotlighting innovation, collaboration, and creativity in agri-tech. Still time to join sessions later this week!

This month launched AgriScale, a new cross-government pilot unveiled by Dame Angela Eagle MP to help agri-tech firms tackle manufacturing scale-up, backed by Defra, Innovate UK, HVM Catapult, and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC).

Also, the EU has adopted a Soil Monitoring Directive aiming for “healthy soils by 2050.” Ambitious? Yes. Achievable? Let's see!

Meanwhile, back at Agri-TechE HQ we’ve rebooted some of our core programmes:

  • Ag101 becomes Agriculture for Innovators

  • Agri-Pathfinders supports emerging tech on its transition into agriculture

  • Farmer First Innovation Group gets a participant assessment to ensure we're providing what farmers want

And Belinda Clarke chaired a panel with the UK Food Valley and Lincolnshire County Council bringing together the two major clusters in Lincolnshire - defence and agri-tech, exploring how to innovate in an unstructured, complex, high-stakes environment.

More inside - read on!
Don't Miss...
Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Dame Angela Eagle, talking with Agri-TechE Director, Dr Belinda Clarke.
Monthly Musing

Is scaling ever plain-sailing? From grant reliance to surviving the Valley of Death, the blog explores the gritty realities behind agri-tech growth and what’s needed to fix them.

Read the Blog
REAP 2025
Hot Topic

REAP 2025 takes place two weeks today on Tuesday 4th November. Book now to hear former NFU President Minette Batters, and immerse in agri-tech at new Peterborough venue.

Book your Ticket
Image from GK Strategy Report
Did you see?

GK Strategy’s new report neatly captures the UK's food policy journey, with a contribution by Agri-TechE's Belinda Clarke, on agri-tech’s strategic value and global investment strength.

Get the Insight
Meet our Members
Fischer Farms logo

Fischer Farms grows 6.5 tonnes of leafy greens weekly in LED-lit vertical tunnels, using zero pesticides and minimal water, and fully automated climate-controlled systems.

Meet Fischer Farms
Fotenix logo

Fotenix provides tractor-mounted technology via AI-enabled multispectral cameras to automate crop scouting, detect stress, and facilitate early treatment to cut costs up to 50%.

Meet Fotenix
Greenstalk logo

Greenstalk retrofits farm kit with smart sensors and software to automate gas gun control, monitor field conditions, and integrate data for precision crop management.

Meet Greenstalk
Innovation Agritech Group logo

Innovation Agritech Group builds aeroponic vertical farms using patented GrowFrame360™ panels for pesticide-free, high-yield crops with automated irrigation and LED lighting.

Meet Innovation Agritech
Newcastle University logo

Newcastle University researches precision agriculture, sustainable food systems, and rural development across 800 hectares of arable and livestock farms.

Meet Newcastle University
Richardson Milling logo

Richardson Milling UK processes high-quality oats into flakes, flours, and extruded ingredients, supplying global brands with traceable, value-added products.

Meet Richardson Milling
 Member News
  • Airponix has secured £830K from Innovate UK and Defra to scale its fog-based growing system, and is now seeking investors to support commercial trials and market entry.
  • Downforce Technologies is supporting Good Earth Cotton’s climate-positive production using satellite data to measure carbon levels at scale and promoting transparency and integrity across regenerative cotton supply chains.
  • Ceres Research has released Episode 3 of their new Fields of the Future podcast for farmers - exploring if Biodiversity Net Gain is an opportunity or an obligation from three key perspectives: an estate benefitting from the income, a developer, and rural consultants helping landowners. 
Events
The REAP Conference 2025 is coming in...

mailtimers.com

Which session are you most looking forward to? And have you booked your ticket?!
Fireside chat from REAP 2024.
Research into Practice

How will today's science impact tomorrow's farming? UK researchers talk to farmer Andrew Blenkiron in a fireside chat exploring relevance and impact.

We tease out the all-important 'so what'?
Networking image sharing a business card
The Technology Exhibition

The REAP 2025 Tech Exhibition offers live, hands-on demos including organisations showcasing robotics, biomaterials, and AI-powered diagnostics.

Check out the list of 2025 Exhibitors
Three reps from the supply chain in discussion at REAP 2024
Co-Developing solutions to Co-Exist

Experts from AGCO, NIAB, and Defra explore how diverse land-use demands can be reconciled through innovation, policy, and collaboration.

Machinary, research, policy: the triple helix
Opportunities
University of Essex logo
University of Essex Innovation Fund

The University of Essex has launched an Innovation Voucher Fund offering SMEs up to £15K to collaborate on agri-tech research, testing, and development.

Find out More
Farmers chatting at REAP 2023
Farmer Breakfast & Bursary Offer

Join fellow farmers for breakfast and keynote insights with Minette Batters at our REAP Conference. Bursary tickets are just £70 and get 3 Basis CPD points.

Apply for Bursary
Innovate UK logo
Innovate UK’s Spark Awards

Up to £200,000 of funding (£20,000 grant per project) for early-stage collabs in aquaculture and farmed animal innovation by RTOs or UK academic institutions.

Apply before 26 Nov
 

To access Member benefits, join Agri-TechE today.

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Did you know, you can claim BASIS points for reading this Newsletter? Ref 197394197747 425/g
 

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