Ubiqutek wins Innovate UK Grant
Ubiqutek recently won a £50k UK Government Innovate UK grant to further enhance its next generation technology.
The Yield Lab invests in Ubiqutek
Ubiqutek is delighted to announce that it has received investment from The Yield Lab. The Yield Lab is a global network of four early stage AgTech accelerators and investment funds. It is headquartered in St Louis Missouri, with sister accelerators in Ireland (Europe), Buenos Aires (LATAM), and Singapore (Asia Pacific). It invests €100K into three to five high potential Agtech start-up businesses in each region per year. Recently voted the world’s most valuable AgTech Accelerator, our global footprint enables our portfolio companies to gain access to the leading Agtech investors, corporates, strategic partners, markets, regulatory developments, research institutions, talent, mentoring, and other promising start-ups, all around the world.
Ubiqutek wins EIP-Agri grant
Ubiqutek has received funding from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. The project will evaluate the potential of Ubiqutek’s non-chemical technology to control weeds using electricity. The key advantages of the technology are that it is chemical free, systemically kills the roots and does not disturb the soil. This project will provide a practical solution for growers by addressing the main concerns of using novel technology in this environment:
- Long-term efficacy of weed control using a structured field trial over 3 years with active participation from the grower
- Speed of weed control by designing a mechanical electrode array prototype suited for this scenario
- Cost by undertaking a desk study comparing alternative weed control methods.
Ubiqutek wins Horizon 2020 grant
The European Commission has awarded Ubiqutek the second phase of their prestigious Horizon 2020 SME Instrument programme to develop electrical weeding technology.
Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever with nearly €80 billion of funding available between 2014 and 2020, €3 billion of which is dedicated to the SME Instrument programme. In addition to private investment, the purpose of Horizon 2020 is to deliver more breakthroughs, discoveries and world-firsts by taking great ideas from the lab to the market.
Andrew Diprose, Executive Director of Ubiqutek, comments: “We are delighted with this news and look forward to working with the European Commission over the coming years. With the extension of the license for the world’s most widely used herbicide only extended by 18 months rather than the 15 years that was applied for, it is critical that innovative technologies are given the necessary support to ensure that the agricultural industry has viable options in the future. We have received a huge amount of interest and look forward to delivering an alternative technology to the market which is cost competitive with herbicides and offers a host of additional environmental benefits.”