Defra has announced that seven British companies have won a share of £560,000 in funding to develop space and AI technologies for farming.
The winners were announced after a ‘hackathon’ run by Defra and Innovate UK, which brought together government, industry and academia. The projects were tasked with using satellite data and AI to tackle real-world agricultural and environmental challenges.
Fifty companies took part, with the winning businesses receiving £80,000 each in Space Commercialisation Credits that will provide the hands-on business and technical support.
According to Defra, space technology investment offers excellent economic returns, with every £1 invested returning up to £8.20 back to the economy.
Defra’s Science Minister Dame Angela Eagle said: “Space data and AI are transforming how we produce food and grow our economy.
“These seven teams have shown what is possible when government, industry, and academia work together. I look forward to seeing their ideas develop into products that benefit farmers, communities, and the environment.”
Gary Cutts, Executive Director for Digital and Technologies at Innovate UK, said: “Innovation‑led growth is central to the UK’s economic future. By backing businesses that apply space and AI technologies to real agricultural and environmental challenges, we are strengthening food security, supporting nature recovery, and creating the conditions for high‑potential firms to secure private investment and scale.”
The winning businesses
- Gentian offers fully automated, on-demand habitat mapping to support biodiversity risk assessments and compliance decisions.
- Agribot is an AI engine that combines satellite data, mechanistic models and field sensors to deliver accurate pasture forecasts and aid fertiliser use and grazing.
- x10NI Ltd produces a platform to combine EO data and farm level digital twins to monitor productivity, resilience, and the environmental impact of livestock systems.
- EarthSavvy is an AI interface that supports small and medium farms to access sustainable farming incentives.
- Native Squared uses EO data for onboarding and scoring, making nature markets investible from day one and unlocking early-stage finance.
- Ocean OS is a habitat and species mapper that converts EO data in regulator ready marine habitat and species layers for faster planning and consent for off-shore wind.
- Orbiventure fuses satellite, acoustic and community data to log fishers’ catches and reduce reporting time, while enabling compliance.