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UCD Lyons Farm in Co Kildare will be at the centre of an ag-tech research hub after the project was awarded €3m in funding.
NovaUCD received the money from the Regional Enterprise Development Fund (REDF) to develop an AgTech Connector Innovation Hub at the farm.
The hub will aim to accelerate the launch and scaling of ag-tech companies by providing them with access to on-farm research opportunities, a location to test and trial their products and services in a real-world environment.
Lyons Farm, located between Celbridge and Newcastle, is 250ha comprising of dairy, beef, sheep, equine, crop and environmental research, teaching and commercial facilities.
Project
Led by NovaUCD, the project will be developed in collaboration with AIB, Kildare County Council and Kildare LEO; agri-companies including, Devenish, Dairymaster, and Glanbia; and investors Finistere, The Yield Lab, and Atlantic Bridge.
Tom Flanagan of NovaUCD said: “The global ag-tech sector is ripe for disruption and Ireland now has a great opportunity to leverage its unique assets to develop innovative, job-creating ag-tech companies with global ambition.”
Flanagan said a nationwide programme would be developed to identify “a pipeline of early-stage high-potential innovations, entrepreneurs and new ventures”.
These would be accelerated through the hub, which will also act as an international showcase of the best in Irish ag-tech innovation.
UCD
Head of UCD school of agriculture and food science Professor Alex Evans said: “This is a very exciting development for UCD Lyons Farm and the many agriculture and food entrepreneurs that we engage with.
“It builds on UCD’s success in translating knowledge into impact and will greatly stimulate our agriculture, food and environmental science research and education activities.”
NovaUCD was one of 26 applicants that received a total of €40m from the Regional Enterprise Development Fund.
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