University will support growth of agri-tech sector as founder member of new group

University of Gloucestershire is a founder member of a new collaborative group created to promote growth and innovation in the agri-tech sector.

GFirst LEP, Gloucestershire’s Local Enterprise Partnership, has joined together with key organisations in the county, including the University’s Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI), to form the Gloucestershire Agri-Tech Partnership.

Harnessing the expertise and facilities of its key centres of excellence, the Partnership will collaborate and showcase the sector’s unique and bespoke capabilities to start-ups and high-growth businesses across the globe.

The Partnership will also support growing businesses in the country by identifying key opportunities and challenges to foster innovation and growth, as well as supporting those businesses already based in the county.

Gloucestershire has the largest and fastest growing network of high growth agri-tech small and medium sized enterprises in the UK, and one of the largest concentrations of agricultural education.

The sector in Gloucestershire was valued at almost £1.5 billion pre-Covid and supports more than 50,000 jobs in the county’s wider economy.

The involvement of CCRI in the Partnership is aligned with its work in understanding innovation and digitalisation in agriculture from a social, political, cultural and economic perspective.

Professor Julie Ingram, Professor of Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture within the CCRI, said: “We look forward to supporting this partnership in developing the potential of agri-tech in Gloucestershire.

“The CCRI’s research on understanding the social, economic and political implications of agri-tech for the farming community and industry will complement and strengthen the work of the partnership and help to enable responsible development and effective uptake of these technologies.”