HARVEST hub at university’s Riseholme Park Campus will provide access to testbeds for robotics in arable, fruit and vegetable farming, including £1mn Acceleration Fund
The University of Lincoln has secured £4.8 million as part of a £7.1mn investment to establish one of the UK’s new Robotics Adoption Hubs.
The hub, named HARVEST, will tackle barriers to robotics across the agri-food sector with testbeds covering arable farming, fruit, vegetables and food manufacturing.
The funding is part of the Robotics Adoption programme delivered by Innovate UK, which brings a network of hubs across the country to support businesses and public services to adopt cutting-edge robotics.
Based at the university’s Riseholme Park Campus, HARVEST will provide businesses access to robotics research, testing facilities and industry expertise to help bring new technologies into real-world use.
The hub was launched during a visit from The Rt Hon Kanishka Narayan MP, Minister for Artificial Intelligence, who met university representatives, Innovate UK and industry partners to discuss the role of robotics in supporting innovation and productivity.
Professor Elizabeth Sklar, director of the Lincoln Institute for Agri-food Technology (LIAT), and director of HARVEST said: “HARVEST features a state-of-the-art Test Track, hosted at the University’s Riseholme Park farm campus, and industry-led Living Labs to facilitate development, testing and demonstration for agri-food robotics businesses across the UK.”
Partners include robotics developers Saga Robotics, Dogtooth Technologies, Dynium and JABAS AI, alongside agri-food businesses including Cranswick plc, B-Hive Innovations, Dyson Farming Research and British Berry Growers.
Moreover, a £1mn Acceleration Fund will offer support to agrifood robotics businesses who can apply for aid from HARVEST to help them overcome specific challenges that would otherwise prevent adoption of their solutions.
Professor Simon Pearson, MBE, founding director of LIAT, and executive director of HARVEST said: “This funding takes us to the next level on our journey to advance agri-food through cutting-edge robotic solutions, securing support for businesses to overcome technical, commercial, regulatory and workforce challenges by working with the LIAT team and key industry representatives.
“We welcome the opportunity to lead this sector into the exciting future of food,” he added.
