Joined by Combined Authority Business Board Chair Al Kingsley, and Business Board agri-tech lead Emma Garfield, they were visiting the site to find out how £3.5 million funding for NIAB over five years has helped grow small and start-up-companies specialising in cutting-edge areas like plant genetics, pest management, soil health, AI, and farm robotics.
The tour, led by NIAB CEO Prof Mario Caccamo, began at NIAB’s SME business incubator ‘Barn4’, a purpose-built facility funded by the Combined Authority which includes research laboratories, plant growth containers and vertical farming facilities. Businesses which are part of the incubator can use the facilities to help develop their research and products. Business founders are also given broader support, such as mentoring, business planning and raising investment and applying for grants, to further break down barriers to growth. So far, around 120 small and start-up businesses in agri-tech have been supported.
The group moved on to the MacLeod Complex, 2,800m2 of research glasshouses and learned more about NIAB’s research into legume and pulse crops. This is part of an industry drive to develop new opportunities for domestic protein production rather than relying on imported sources, with opportunities in this market for start-ups and SME businesses. One of the crop trials on show was chickpeas, where work is underway to develop a variety suited to the British climate.
They concluded with a tour of NIAB’s precision breeding facility.
The agri-tech and food-tech sector in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough employs a combined 22,000 people and is worth about £1 billion to the economy. There are increasing links with the area’s wider tech sector too, especially in the fields of AI, big data and biotechnology, making the potential for future growth even stronger.
Mayor Dr Nik Johnson said: “We want to make Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, along with partners in the East, a global hub of innovation in agri-tech. Combined Authority investment in NIAB, supporting new businesses and jobs, is part of our work to back the sector. It was fascinating to see the exciting research and commercialisation of some products which could be on our own dinner tables very soon, and fantastic that it’s happening right here, supporting our economy and creating skilled jobs.”
Chair of the Business Board, Al Kingsley, said: “This initiative with NIAB is a prime example of how targeted investment can drive innovation and create real opportunities for local businesses. Funding from the Combined Authority has not only helped support cutting-edge research in agri-tech but has also provided a vital platform for small and start-up companies to thrive. This partnership is helping to shape the future of sustainable farming and is a showcase of how our region is leading agricultural innovation.”
Professor Mario Caccamo, CEO at NIAB, said: “The Combined Authority has been an important and welcome strategic partner for NIAB in Cambridge over the past four years. Its investment has enabled us to support local innovation and entrepreneurship within the rapidly expanding agritech sector, ensuring Cambridgeshire remains at the forefront of finding and developing solutions to agricultural and environmental challenges including the climate crisis and food security.”
IN FOCUS:
Andrej Porovic is co-founder of PES Technologies, started in 2017 to develop unique technology to provide key indicators used to assess the health of soil, simply by analysing its smell. Their product can test in-field in five minutes, rather than current methods which involve taking samples back to a lab for tests, which can take weeks. The test focuses on analysing the smell from the microbial life in soil to provide information about biological, chemical and physical characteristics. Microbial life is crucial to soils’ health and sustainability, and is particularly important to regenerative and sustainable farming, where soil health is fundamental.
The need to reduce carbon footprints, and a changing climate bringing more frequent extreme weather such as flooding and drought, means that soil health is likely to be a growing concern for farmers.
The product is designed to be used by agronomists – consultants who help farmers improve agricultural productivity and sustainability.
The business was helped by NIAB from the start – indeed, it was NIAB which identified a gap in the market for affordable, fast, good-quality tests for biological soil health.
Since then, PES Technologies has used both the expertise and connections of NIAB, as well as some of the facilities funded by the Combined Authority, to help bring the company from initial start-up to now, where they are ready to start delivering their first products to customers.
Andrej said: “NIAB have always been a key partner because of their expertise and their brand recognition. When we tell people we developed this product with NIAB, that really resonates in the farming sector and helps open doors.
“They have made connections to other businesses and helped with key introductions. We have used facilities for research and testing, and their office space is useful for our team meetings as we have team members across East Anglia. When we think of new R&D and testing, NIAB are our first call.
“It has been a lot of hard work to get to the point where we are now sending our first units to customers this month. So it is a really exciting time for the business, and NIAB has played an important role in our journey.”
This article orginally appeared on the Cambridgeshire & Peterbrough Combined Authority website.