Two centres of agri-tech innovation are joining forces to offer members an enhanced range of services to drive growth in the farming industry.
Farm491, an agri-tech business incubator based at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) in Cirencester, will join forces with research institute Rothamsted Enterprises, based in Harpenden.
The collaboration promises to accelerate potential agricultural innovations for UK farming.
And with a global population of ten billion people predicted by 2050, advancements in farming are seen to be key in fixing food production issues and maintaining a healthy planet.
Farm491’s members will have access to spaces and services at Rothamsted Enterprises’ Harpenden campus, which includes state-of-the-art labs.
They will also have access to Rothamsted Research’s scientists, a vibrant calendar of business, innovation and agri-tech events and seminars, and use of 300 hectares of experimental farmland, glasshouses and controlled growth environments.
The partnership will also extend and enhance the services available to Rothamsted Enterprises’ tenants.
This will enable agri tech start-ups at Rothamsted to accelerate their innovations through one-to-one support and mentoring provided by the Farm491 team.
Sarah Carr, Outreach Officer at Farm491, said: “It made complete sense to partner and create a more cohesive approach to tackling the many barriers that agri-entrepreneurs face when trying to scale in the agri-food sector.
“Rothamsted is a place of exciting scientific innovation and we are excited to combine our knowledge of scaling agri tech businesses to support tenants on the path to commercial viability.”
