The first round of funding applications for a share of the government’s £90million industrial strategy fund launch later this month.
The Transforming Food Production Challenge is aiming to make the UK a world leader in precision farming by developing the UK’s robotics, satellite, data and digital technologies, capable of feeding a rapidly growing population.
The challenge is funded by the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) to fuel rural growth, creating high skilled jobs, and open up export opportunities.
The first funding competition call opens onMonday 20 Augustwith an investment up to£20 million. The Industry-Led Collaborative R&D call has two main themes: driving yield productivity, and developing new higher value food production systems that maximise productivity and improve environmental performance.
Professor Melanie Welham, executive sponsor for the Transforming Food Production Challenge at UK Research and Innovation said: “Precision farming is the future of farming and food production. There is an enormous opportunity for the UK to lead the world in deploying smart technologies to the field, farm and factory and truly transform the entire ‘farm to fork’ supply chain.
“We have to grasp that opportunity now, and the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund will help make that happen. We will be able to farm sustainably, produce healthy, nutritious and economically viable food, while preserving farmland and the wider environment for future generations.”
For more information on the ISCF Transforming Food Production challenge competition and to apply, please visit:Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund: Transforming Production.
