The Transforming Food Production Challenge, part of the government’s modern Industrial Strategy, will bring together the UK’s agri-food sector with robotics, satellite, data and digital technologies and artificial intelligence.
The Challenge, funded through the government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF), will help to fuel rural growth, create high-skilled jobs and open up new export opportunities while reducing pollution and minimising waste and soil erosion.
“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,” said Professor Melanie Welham, Executive sponsor for the Transforming Food Production Challenge at UK Research and Innovation.
The ISCF is delivered by UK Research and Innovation. UK Research and Innovation is a new body which works in partnership with universities, research organisations, businesses, charities, and government to create the best possible environment for research and innovation to flourish. Operating across the whole of the UK with a combined budget of more than £6 billion, UK Research and Innovation brings together the seven research councils, Innovate UK and a new organisation, Research England.
The first funding competition call opens on Monday 20 August 2018 with an investment up to £20 million. The Industry-Led Collaborative Research & Development call has two main themes:
- To drive productivity and improve environmental outcomes in crop and ruminant production systems
- To develop new, highly efficient, high-value food production systems that maximise productivity and improve environmental performance.
- combining digital technologies and engineering solutions with biological, environmental and/or social science to drive productivity
- developing technologies and solutions that connect farms and supply chains
- transferring technology from another sector into agriculture, providing this requires innovation.
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