Seven British businesses have been awarded a share of £560,000 in government funding to develop space and artificial intelligence technologies aimed at transforming British farming, boosting economic growth, and supporting nature recovery. The funding follows a pioneering hackathon jointly organized by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Innovate UK, which brought together government, industry, and academia to tackle real-world agricultural and environmental challenges using satellite data and AI.
Selected from 50 applicants, each of the seven winning companies will receive £80,000 in Space Commercialisation Credits. This funding provides hands-on business and technical support to accelerate their technologies to market. Space technology investment has proven highly cost-effective, with every £1 invested by Defra in Earth Observation research generating up to £8.20 in economic returns, supporting British businesses, high-skilled jobs, and growth in the UK’s space sector.
Notable competition winners include x10NI, which creates digital farm simulations to help farmers manage soil health, reduce input costs, and streamline environmental reporting. Gentian uses AI-driven satellite analysis to track wildlife habitats and biodiversity changes, improving environmental risk assessments while reducing the need for costly site visits. Ocean OS employs satellite data to automatically map marine habitats and species, helping regulators approve offshore wind projects more efficiently and accelerating clean energy development.
Defra’s Science Minister Dame Angela Eagle highlighted the transformative potential of space data and AI for agriculture and the economy, emphasizing the power of collaboration between government, industry, and academia. Gary Cutts, Executive Director for Digital and Technologies at Innovate UK, noted that supporting businesses applying space and AI to real agricultural and environmental challenges strengthens food security, aids nature recovery, and creates opportunities for private investment and scaling.
Each winning team will receive expert support from the Satellite Applications Catapult to bring their products to market over the next year. This announcement builds on the £120 million in productivity and innovation grants shared between the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund and the Farming Innovation Programme, which have already supported over 630 organisations and committed more than £165 million to agricultural research and innovation, further boosting the UK’s agricultural productivity and technological development.
