The Royal Welsh Show provided an opportunity to celebrate the success of the Mid & North Wales Agritech & FoodTech Launchpad while showcasing new funding, technology and support opportunities for businesses across the region.
It was great to be at the Royal Welsh Show this year for a joint event bringing together the Mid & North Wales Agritech & FoodTech Launchpad and Clusters with the Growing Mid Wales Digital Programme and its new LoRaWAN funding opportunity.
The event, Showcasing Success: Agri-food & digital tech innovation and funding opportunities, brought together businesses, farmers, innovators and organisations from across the region to celebrate what has been achieved and look at the opportunities ahead.
Over the past two years, the Agritech & FoodTech Launchpad has supported businesses across Mid and North Wales to develop, test and grow innovative ideas with commercial potential.
At the Royal Welsh, we heard directly from businesses involved in the programme, including Lanotech and Neurabotics, who shared their experiences of developing innovative solutions for the agri-food sector.
The event also looked ahead, with Innovate UK sharing its latest prospectus and funding opportunities, while the Business Wales AI Adoption Team highlighted support available to help businesses understand and adopt artificial intelligence.
Digital innovation was another key theme. Growing Mid Wales introduced its Digital Programme and Growth Deal funding opportunity, including support available through its new LoRaWAN fund.
We also heard a practical example of how digital technology is already being used in agriculture, with farmer David Evershed sharing his experience of using LoRaWAN technology on his farm near Borth, Aberystwyth.
For me, this was a great example of what collaboration across the Agritech sector can achieve. Innovation is not just about developing new technology – it is about connecting businesses with the right people, expertise, funding and opportunities to put that technology into practice.
The Royal Welsh Show was the perfect setting for those conversations, bringing together people from across agriculture, food, technology, research, education and economic development.
A huge congratulations to everyone involved in the Agritech & FoodTech Launchpad over the past two years. It has been a privilege to work alongside our partners and the businesses taking part in the programme.
And while the Launchpad programme has reached an important milestone, the need for collaboration and innovation across the sector continues. There are exciting opportunities ahead for businesses looking to develop new ideas, adopt technology or find support for their next stage of growth.
Interested in getting involved with the Agritech Cymru Cluster?
Get in touch with Olwen at olwen@m-sparc.com to find out more about the cluster, opportunities to collaborate and what’s happening across the Agritech sector in Wales.
