Based in East Cambridgeshire, RoboScientific Ltd is a world leading manufacturer of instruments that measure levels of odours in the air; known in the industry as Volatile Organic Compound (VOCs) analysers.
With the funding, RoboScientific will create prototype products that will have mass market appeal and be easy to use across in many agricultural sectors worldwide. The technology can identify tiny changes in any organic material caused by decay in real time, helping farmers and growers to detect signs of disease, reduce waste and enhance the quality and size of crop yields.
RoboScientific will also look to provide solutions for the retail industry, as the software will help supermarkets better monitor the freshness of their produce to both increase consumer confidence and increase efficiency.
Furthermore, the funding will enable RoboScientific to make the software more user-friendly by producing a clear Yes/No result. This will allow the product to be rolled out to users of all abilities and not just to trained scientists.
Mark Reeve, Chairman of the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership, said:
“RoboScientific came to us with an innovative project that will help multiple industries in the Agri-Tech sector detect diseases in livestock and plants more accurately, whilst lowering food wastage and costs.
“I am pleased to be able to provide RoboScientific with funding to progress their research and development work and look forward to seeing how the business grows in the future.”
Stan Curtis, CEO of RoboScientific commented:
“The funding provided by the Eastern Agri-Tech Growth Initiative will enable us to vastly reduce the development time of our instruments, alongside securing the company’s long term future within Cambridgeshire.”
“The benefits of real time disease detection to the Agri-Tech industry are demonstrable, and we look forward to working with the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership to increase efficiency within the industry, increase consumer confidence, and deliver new jobs and opportunities locally.”
The Eastern Agri-Tech Growth Initiative is run by the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership (LEP) with support from New Anglia LEP, Norfolk County Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, and the local authorities covering this area.
Grants are available to organisations looking to invest in specialist equipment, new market and supply chain development, ways to improve productivity and efficiency, and the application and commercialisation of Research and Development.
To find out how the Eastern Agri-Tech Growth Initiative could help to grow your business, visit www.agritechgrants.co.uk or call the LEP on 01480 277180.
