Innovate UK and Defra Announce £5 Million Funding to Boost Environmental Monitoring

In a positive move to enhance environmental monitoring in the UK, Innovate UK, in collaboration with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), has announced a £5 million investment in collaborative projects dedicated to developing advanced environmental monitoring solutions, aiming to improve the monitoring of environmental variables.

As global awareness of the environment’s state and its changes heightens, an increasing demand for environmental monitoring exists. This trend presents a significant growth opportunity, and the latest funding initiative is designed to position the UK as a leader in this expanding market, UKRI announced.

Innovation in Environmental Monitoring Programme

This initiative is part of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Defra’s commitment to invest £12 million over three years, focusing on research and innovation projects. These projects are aimed at enhancing monitoring capabilities in strategically significant areas. Building on the success of the inaugural funding round in summer 2023, led by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Defra, this second round of funding shifts the focus from research-led to business-led activities.

Collaboration and Community Building

An essential aspect of this initiative is forming a broad UK community in innovative environmental sensing and monitoring. UKRI and Defra are keen on bringing together grant holders from both funding rounds to foster this community. Successful applicants will be encouraged to participate in community-building activities, emphasizing collaboration between business-led and research-led endeavours.

The Challenge and Areas of Focus

The funding opportunity, opening on 22 January, seeks innovative projects that advance sensing systems and monitoring capabilities. The focus areas include:

• Biodiversity and Natural Capital
• Soil health, including measuring soil carbon
• Water quality
• Greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from Defra sectors

These collaborative projects are expected to enhance existing monitoring methods or introduce novel technologies. They will undergo rigorous testing, including on-the-ground validation, to ensure accuracy and reliability for potential large-scale deployment.

Economic Growth and Policy Alignment

This initiative is not only about environmental stewardship but also aligns with the UK’s economic growth and government policy priorities. The investment aims to bolster the UK environmental monitoring sector, which is in line with the expanding market for environmental sensing.

Statements from Innovate UK and Defra

Dr. Stella Peace, Executive Director for the Healthy Living and Agriculture Domain at Innovate UK, emphasized the importance of building a robust UK community dedicated to advancing environmental sensing and monitoring. She highlighted the programme’s alignment with the vision of catalyzing transformative changes for a sustainable and resilient UK future.

Professor Gideon Henderson, Chief Scientific Adviser at Defra, acknowledged the critical role of monitoring for effective environmental management. He expressed excitement for the new approaches this programme will deliver, enhancing capabilities for various end users, including Defra’s environmental monitoring activities. This investment is expected to support the growth of innovative companies and enable key policies like providing trusted data for natural markets.