Yesterday, we were proud to host the inaugural UK Innovation Corridor Agri-tech Working Group at Rothamsted, bringing together leaders from across the London–Cambridge arc to explore a more connected, collaborative agri-tech future.
Convened by the UK Innovation Corridor, the session focused on strengthening the agri-tech offer across the UK’s leading science and technology region – linking London and Cambridge to unlock greater impact in food security, sustainability and agricultural innovation.
The meeting was opened by John McGill, Director of the UK Innovation Corridor, and James Jennings, Senior Partnership Manager (Public Sector) at UCL Innovation & Enterprise. They outlined the Corridor’s ambition to double the size of its economy by 2040, generate new unicorns and create hundreds of thousands of high-value jobs across tech and life sciences.
Hosted at Rothamsted – the discussion brought together representatives from research, academia, innovation networks and industry. Partners including University College London, University of Hertfordshire, BBSRC, Rothamsted Research ARU, UEL, Herts Future and Agri-TechE, alongside key innovation and enterprise stakeholders.
Each organisation delivered a short overview of their capabilities — from AI-driven crop intelligence and robotics to vertical farming, genetic technologies and sustainable food systems.
What became immediately clear was the depth and breadth of expertise already operating within the Corridor — and the opportunity to connect it more intentionally.
There was strong appetite in the room to:
- Better articulate the Innovation Corridor’s agri-tech “offer” as a unified proposition
- Strengthen international collaboration, including with fast-growing global agricultural economies
- Build cross-cutting programmes spanning AI, automation, sustainability and advanced life sciences
- Establish a regular working forum to maintain momentum
The conversation also explored how the region can align more closely with international agri-tech ecosystems, ensuring UK innovation plays a leading global role while remaining commercially and politically aligned.
Nicole Sadd, CEO of Rothamsted Enterprises said:
“We are incredibly proud to have hosted this inaugural session. The diversity of expertise in the room — and the willingness to collaborate — gives me great confidence that this is just the beginning of something transformative.”
The group agreed to reconvene in May to continue shaping a more formalised working structure and to broaden participation. A key theme will be ensuring the right voices — from industry, investment, academia and government — are in the room to accelerate delivery.
The UK Innovation Corridor already joins two of the country’s most productive cities. This working group demonstrated that when we connect our agri-tech capabilities across that geography, the potential is far greater than the sum of its parts.
We look forward to building this together.
