News story: Transforming food production: funding and events

It is predicted that 60 percent more food will be needed worldwide by 2050 to feed the expanding global population. To meet this demand, government has announced £90 million of new funding to help businesses, reseachers and industry to transform food production.

Transforming food production – part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund

The programme will be led by Innovate UK and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. It is part of government Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

4 areas of investment

The fund will go towards 4 areas to:

• create ‘Translation Hubs’ that bring together businesses, farmers and academics to collaborate on research projects
• support innovation accelerators to explore the potential of new technology and speed up commercialisation
• launch a new research programme to identify and build on export opportunities overseas
• fund demonstrator projects that show how innovative agri-tech ideas can be applied in real-world settings

It was announced today in a speech by Business Secretary Greg Clark to the National Farmers’ Union.

Support for innovative agri-food projects

UK businesses that are interested in finding out more about the fund as well as other opportunities in agri-food can go to a Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) industry event.

Here you can:

• get advice on how to access funding
• attend workshops
• hear talks and case studies from previous funding winners