Farmers: Do you have a bright idea which needs some help to develop? Or a project that’s already under way which could be rolled out across the industry? If so, the Rothamsted Open Innovation Forum wants to hear from you. It is seeking to bring together innovators, researchers and investors to turn bright ideas into reality to help the agricultural industry meet the challenges of the future.
“Whether it’s an animal health initiative which is working on a local basis, a new development in breeding or nutrition, or the next step in cutting edge technology, if it can help the agri-food sector move forward then we want to hear about it,” says Chris Dunkley, chief executive of the Rothamsted Centre for Research and Enterprise.
The inaugural ROIF is a brand new concept in the agricultural industry, adopting a cross-sector collaborative approach to answering the big questions. “It isn’t about one company or research institute knowing better than another, it’s about all of us working together to effect real change,” says Mr Dunkley.
The forum, which will be held from 18 to 20 January 2017, will include a two-day conference to identify specific areas on which to focus, followed by practical workshops with key stakeholders to work out how to turn those ideas into reality.
Those projects will then be taken forward and reviewed in the next forum. “Open Innovation has delivered real benefits across other industries and it has real potential to drive the British agri-food sector into the 22nd Century,” says Mr Dunkley. “But it’s not about us setting the agenda, which is why we need to hear from those in the industry who have seen the challenges and have potential answers to them, but who need a little help to take things forward.”
The ROIF will also be focusing on knowledge transfer, to ensure that every farmer can benefit from the developments. “In a recent twitter forum with @AgriChatUK, this was a common theme that emerged throughout the discussion,” says Mr Dunkley. “There is so much valuable information already out there, the key is to make sure it’s accessible.”
The team is now matching up relevant stakeholders for each workshop, so needs all proposals to be submitted by 15 December. “Whether you are a small enterprise looking for investors, a larger business seeking research assistance, or a single farmer with entrepreneurial flair, please get in touch and help us to shape a vibrant, profitable future for all.”
For more information:
roif.co.uk






Announcements
Job Offers
- Export Sales Manager Europe Division
- Directors - New Zealand
- Nursery Production Manager Victoria Australia
- Technical Sales Consultant, Washington
- Export Sales Manager North America Exports
- Head Grower Hydroponic Greenhouse
- Account Manager – South-East Asia
- Vegetable Seed - EU Sales and Regional Manager
- Business Developer – High Tech Horticulture
- Operations Manager Organic Farm Barka Oman
"Tweeting Growers"
Top 5 -yesterday
- "At the end of the day, everyone has to pay a higher price for the gas”
- Abu Dhabi: $84m contract for building two hydroponic farms
- Oishii opens new product segment by introducing $20 berries
- Researchers develop new plant wearable device to monitor water stress in crops
- Australia: Using BioClay technology to protect plants against whitefly
Top 5 -last week
Top 5 -last month
- "Honduras greenhouse park to become the largest producer-exporter in the Central American region"
- Netherlands: Codema Systems Group declared bankrupt
- Shanghai: Young people who can't get vegetables start to "help themselves" through hydroponic vegetables
- Canada: Dutch holding company acquires Ontario Plants Propagation
- Google meets agriculture at Go Green Agriculture
Receive the daily newsletter in your email for free | Click here
Other news in this sector:
- 2022-05-19 General Authority for Statistics: Prices of some goods up by 36%
- 2022-05-19 Soaring dollar rates affect Pakistan fruit and vegetable prices
- 2022-05-19 "At the end of the day, everyone has to pay a higher price for the gas”
- 2022-05-19 Climate change is already taking its toll on Spanish agriculture
- 2022-05-19 Berries become Mexico’s number one agri-food export product
- 2022-05-19 Significant increases in price for fruit this week; red cherries, seedless watermelons, Bartlett pears
- 2022-05-19 Viet Nam - U.S. Agricultural cooperation: reliability and mutual benefit
- 2022-05-19 Australian growers again see Queensland floods ruin crops
- 2022-05-18 Poland ranked third among EU countries, regarding strawberry production
- 2022-05-18 Malaysia: Modern farming popular with young agropreneurs
- 2022-05-18 Estonia: Tomato and cucumber production costs up
- 2022-05-18 Bangalore: Vegetables enter the 'Rs 100 club'
- 2022-05-18 Movement of Mexican asparagus crossing through Arizona, California and Texas expected to increase
- 2022-05-18 94.1% of the fruits and vegetables exported by Spain are transported by truck
- 2022-05-18 Australia: Union alliance and Woolworths partnership should support all workers
- 2022-05-17 "Greenhouse lettuce demand and prices fluctuate"
- 2022-05-17 The Netherlands produces almost 7 times more cucumbers per square meter than Spain
- 2022-05-17 3,500 Nigerian growers targeted for new hybrid tomato & cabbage tests
- 2022-05-17 Kerala government decides to fix Minimum Support Price for five more crops
- 2022-05-17 Australian berry industry has seen significant growth in recent years