Area of investment and support

Area of investment and support: Transforming food production challenge

This challenge supports new ways to produce food that reduces emissions and pollution, and contributes to feeding a growing world population.

The aim is to:

  • produce resilient and sustainable food more efficiently
  • reduce emissions and pollution
  • minimise waste
  • improve soil
Budget:
£90 million
Duration:
Single challenge running from 2019 to 2024, with interventions across traditional agriculture, new future food production systems, international partnerships and investor partnerships
Partners involved:
Innovate UK, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)

The scope and what we're doing

This challenge is supporting new ways to produce food that reduce emissions and pollution, and contribute to feeding a growing world population.

We are investing up to £90 million of funding to help businesses, researchers and industry to transform food production, meet the growing demand and move towards net zero emissions by 2040.

It is predicted that 60% more food will be needed worldwide by 2050 to feed the increasing global population. To do this, we need to be able to produce resilient and sustainable food more efficiently. This will reduce emissions and pollution, minimise waste and improve soil.

Funding will be invested in:

  • future food production systems
  • science and technology into practice
  • international opportunities
  • investment ecosystems

Future food production systems

This funding stream will stimulate the development of new high-value food production systems. To date, we have invested over £16 million in projects led by 5 innovative companies.

Science and technology into practice

We will strengthen connections between innovative businesses, farmers and end users. The aim is to accelerate the development and adoption of precision approaches to increase agricultural productivity, while supporting the sector in achieving net zero emissions by 2040.

This funding stream have awarded over £14 million to projects.

International opportunities

This is a programme to identify and accelerate shared international priorities and help build export opportunities for pioneering agricultural technologies and innovations with partners overseas. It currently includes 2 streams:

  • in Canada, to help UK companies to access precision agriculture markets in North America
  • in China, to help exploit rapidly emerging market opportunities in Asia

Investment ecosystem

Innovate UK research shows that the UK lags internationally on late-stage investment in agri-tech. We will create new approaches to working with the investment community to explore and accelerate the commercial potential of new technologies and attract private investments into UK businesses.

To address a lack of private agri-tech investment, we have created an investor partnership programme to encourage venture capital firms to take a stake in innovative UK agri-tech businesses working to achieve net zero emissions.

The programme aims to deliver government grant and venture capital funding to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) close to taking their product to the market. It is set to deliver £5 million in grant funding for late-stage projects, coupled with private investment matched by a ratio of at least 2 to 1 by the private investors.

The investor partnership programme is seeking small and medium-sized businesses aspiring to transform food production while targeting net zero by 2040, with focus areas including:

  • robotics
  • artificial intelligence
  • novel proteins
  • vertical farming
  • integrated supply chains
  • autonomous growing systems
  • precision agriculture

Farming innovation programme

The farming innovation programme is a partnership between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and UKRI to increase innovation in farming, through investment in research and development for a more efficient and productive sector.

It will support ambitious projects to transform productivity and enhance environmental sustainability in England’s agricultural and horticultural sectors, while driving the sectors towards net zero.

The programme’s aims are to:

  • help farmers, growers and foresters increase productivity, sustainability and resilience
  • reduce the environmental impact of agriculture and horticulture
  • apply agricultural research to provide real benefits for farmers, growers and foresters
  • use science to develop solutions for the practical challenges in agriculture and horticulture

For more details, visit the farming innovation site.

Why we're doing it

It is predicted that 60% more food will be needed worldwide by 2050 to feed the increasing global population. To do this, we need to be able to produce resilient and sustainable food more efficiently. This will reduce emissions and pollution, minimise waste and improve soil, and help the sector get on a trajectory to realise net zero emissions by 2040.

Funding, support and collaborative activity will focus on 4 key areas:

  • future food production systems
  • science and technology into practice
  • international opportunities
  • investment ecosystems

From animal health to crop management, robotics to pest control, the food sector in the UK needs to innovate to meet demands on its:

  • efficiency
  • environmental impact
  • sustainability
  • economic value

Opportunities, support and resources available

Search for UKRI Challenge Fund funding and any wider opportunities.

Read more about UKRI business funding opportunities.

Find current and future opportunities within the farming innovation programme.

For feasibility studies and industrial research projects, the following intervention rates may apply:

  • up to 70% if you are a micro or small organisation
  • up to 60% if you are a medium-sized organisation
  • up to 50% if you are a large organisation

For experimental development projects which are nearer to market, the following intervention rates may apply:

  • up to 45% if you are a micro or small organisation
  • up to 35% if you are a medium-sized organisation
  • up to 25% if you are a large organisation

Past projects, outcomes and impact

Insectrial Revolution

Led by start-up company Entocycle, Insectrial Revolution is developing a complete system demonstrator using black soldier flies to convert industrial-scale food waste from farms and factories into a sustainable insect-based animal feed and biofertiliser.

Read more about the Entocycle project.

REACT-FIRST

Led by Deep Branch Biotechnology, REACT-FIRST will produce food for fish and poultry using carbon dioxide, applying a unique CO2-to-protein process with no requirements for arable land and minimal water usage.

Watch the REACT-FIRST video case study.

Production at the point of consumption

Led by Evogro, the ‘Production at the point of consumption’ project will research and develop the next generation of autonomous growing systems for on-site growing of high-value produce (specialty salad leaves, herbs and microgreens) by food service operators.

AGRI-SATT

Led by Brilliant Planet, AGRI-SATT will combine data from an algae growing system using seawater to produce food in deserts, with satellite data to automate production and increase nutritional quality.

Autonomous Growing System

Led by Optimal Labs, Autonomous Growing System is developing autonomous technology that controls climate, irrigation and lighting, enabling any crop variety to be grown in any location. This significantly increases production levels and resource efficiency in UK greenhouses.

Robot Highways

Led by Saga Robotics, Robot Highways will perform the largest known global demonstration of robotics and autonomous technologies on a farm. A fleet of robots will carry out energy-intensive processes such as picking and packing fruit and treating crops against diseases.

GelPonic

Led by AEH Innovative Hydrogel, GelPonic will develop a growth material that conserves water and protects plants by filtering pathogens and includes a new graphene-based internet-connected device that allows remote monitoring of vertical farms.

REMEDY

Led by Quality Milk Management Services, REMEDY will provide precision technologies to provide dairy farmers with real-time data for efficient farm operations. This includes for instance wearable devices for cows tracking their behaviour and nutrition.

TUBERSCAN-DEMO

Led by B-hive, TUBERSCAN-DEMO will develop and test an innovative demonstrator system to measure average potato sizes and yield throughout potato fields, providing insights for selective harvesting, optimising crop yield and resource use.

Read more about the Tuberscan project.

Brilliant Planet

Led by Brilliant Planet Ltd, this project is unlocking the power of algae as an affordable method of permanently removing billions of tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere. The company’s innovative process enables vast quantities of microalgae to grow in open-air pond-based systems on coastal desert land.

Watch the video case study.

Last updated: 28 April 2023

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