The Agri-EPI Centre’s Midlands hub is proof that the key to the success of Agri-Technology is networking.
Based at Harper Adams University, the Centre offers Agri-EPI clients direct links to local farms, university researchers and assistance in securing commercial or grant funding – through Agri-EPI itself.
The site is a vast space; 10,000 square feet (sq ft) of workshop space and 6,000sq ft of officing and meeting rooms. The hub offers flexible solutions for tenants, from one-hour conference slots to full-time premises.
The hub’s operations manager is Les Hurdiss, who explained: “My job is matchmaking companies and enabling the development of practical, forward-thinking agricultural technology.”
Therefore, networking is paramount to the Centre’s success, and it is an important part of the company’s five steps: Identifying farmers’ challenges, finding firms with ideas to solve those challenges, giving access to university faculties to prove the concept, securing funding, and facilitating partnerships with farmers or other businesses to get it off the ground.
“Our aim is to inform, inspire and innovate,” said Mr Hurdis.