Two new funding streams are being made accessible by Rising Kent & Medway to again sustainable innovation and new applied sciences within the horticultural and plant-based foods and drinks sector.
Candidates might be registered anyplace within the UK to use however might want to work with a company within the Kent and Medway area.
Awarded competitively, profitable tasks awarded a share of the £1,200,000 should concentrate on sustainability. This may very well be decreasing carbon emissions or minimizing waste within the provide chain, for instance.
Strawberry crops being examined within the GreenTech Hub for Superior Horticulture at NIAB, East Malling
Prototyping and demonstrator fund
One competitors will present a share of £750,000 for companies to develop and take a look at new applied sciences. Grants value £50,000 to £150,000 can be utilized to develop prototypes and demonstrators, resulting in the commercialization of recent merchandise.
Enterprise innovation vouchers
The second competitors will present companies with 50% of their prices for analysis tasks with NIAB, the College of Kent, or the College of Greenwich. The Vouchers are value between £10,000 and £30,000. That is the second spherical of this initiative, with the first spherical of winners introduced in February ’23.
Dr. Nikki Harrison, Programme Director for Rising Kent & Medway, stated: “Kent and Medway are main the way in which in progressive and sustainable horticultural foods and drinks manufacturing. Our two new funding streams provide companies nationwide the chance to collaborate with a few of the cutting-edge analysis organizations and forward-thinking companies based mostly within the area.”
“We had been impressed with the novel concepts awarded in our first wave of Enterprise Innovation Vouchers and are excited to fund extra pioneering tasks with this subsequent spherical of vouchers. The second competitors is our new Prototyping and Demonstrator Fund, which is designed to assist carry ground-breaking applied sciences nearer to market.”
“As well as, we’re opening up the eligibility for these grants to companies throughout the UK who want to collaborate with companies and researchers in Kent.”
The 2 funding streams are the most recent in a collection of sustainability grants supplied by Rising Kent & Medway. Over £2.75 million has beforehand been awarded to 29 tasks by this system, which is supported by UK Analysis & Innovation’s Energy in Locations Fund.
Julian Bowrey, innovation lead for UKRI’s Energy in Locations Fund, stated: “UKRI’s Energy in Locations Fund builds on Kent and Medway’s long-standing strengths in horticulture analysis and innovation to develop the native economic system. This newest spherical of grants will help working prototypes and demonstrators to hurry new services to market. UKRI is working carefully with Rising Kent & Medway to assist fund extra progressive firms within the area. We’re wanting ahead to extra nice concepts coming ahead.”
The grants open on Monday, November 20, and can shut on January 24, 2024.
Supply: HortiDaily
