Agri-Tech Catalyst Projects Funded

DEFRA has announced funding for 11 projects as part of the Agri-Tech Catalyst, designed to support research institutes, businesses and universities bridge the gap between the lab and the field.  The projects will recieve £2.8 million of funding from the government and £1.4 million co-investment from the government.  Details of the schemes being funded are:

Arable:

• James Hutton Institute – tools to make it easier, faster and cheaper to import wild plant properties into mainstream varieties
• Saturn Bioponics – nutrient composition sensing technology for hydroponic farming (with University of Manchester)
• University of York – pesticide discovery and optimisation (with Syngenta)
• ADAS UK – tractor mounted sensor to reduce cost and carbon footprint of wheat production (with Sainsbury’s)
•  Royal Holloway University – improving seed priming, used to improve vegetable seed quality (with Germains)
• GrowUp Urban Farms – building first aquoponic urban farm and quantify the economic and environmental potential of sustainable urban farming
• Exosect – harnessing natural fungi to control insect and mite pests in grain storage (with EsEye)

Livestock:

• University of Nottingham – mastitis treatment and management (with Quality Milk Management)
• Cambivac Limited – vaccines for more effective control disease (PRRS) in swine (with Moredun Scientific)

Aquaculture:

• National Lobster hatchery – expand the industry and develop novel cultivation techniques
• Scottish Association for Marine Sciences – devloping technology to farm two seaweed species.