The East of England, including Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Norfolk and Suffolk, has been selected to receive up to £7.5m of new investment from Innovate UK to drive local innovation and business growth, building on the region’s existing strengths in agri-tech, agri-biotech, and food-tech.
Under the Launchpad programme, small and medium-sized enterprises, businesses and researchers working to grow their impact in the region can apply for competitive grants for innovative projects that focus on:
- Driving productivity across agriculture, horticulture and aquaculture
- Delivering quality food production through food manufacturing and processing
- Creating novel food production systems
Competition strands
Round 1 of the Launchpad includes two strands, both closing on Monday 6 December 2023:
Project must focus on one or more of the following:
- enhancing the productivity of primary crops, the bioeconomy, livestock, aquaculture or ornamental plants
- biotechnologies related to agriculture, food and nutrition
- food that promotes safe, healthy and nutritious diets
- resource efficient production methods for low emission foods
For full details on eligibility and scope, visit Innovate UK’s Launchpad page.
About the Launchpad Programme
It is funded by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation. It is designed to build on innovation clusters around the UK that have significant growth potential and to deliver jobs, growth, and higher productivity, supporting the Government’s levelling-up agenda.
The Eastern Agri-Food Innovation Launchpad has been developed jointly by New Anglia LEP, Greater Lincolnshire LEP, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and Innovate UK, and tailored to the region’s needs and circumstances.
Partners
The Eastern Agri-Food Innovation Launchpad has been developed jointly by New Anglia LEP, Greater Lincolnshire LEP, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and Innovate UK, and tailored to the region’s needs and circumstances.
Agri-TechE has supported the submission of this bid, alongside members NIAB, Norwich Research Park, the Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology (LIAT) at the University of Lincoln, the University of East Anglia and Cambridge Enterprise, the National Centre for Food Manufacturing (NCFM) and The Seafood Grimsby and Humber Alliance.
This post originally appeared on TechToday.