IUK Announces Round 2 Digital Dairy Chain Collaborative R&D and Growth Competition
The Digital Dairy Chain project exists to boost the rural economies of Cumbria, and South and West Scotland by focusing on the region’s dairy production and manufacturing. This competition will offer funding for business focused innovation in these areas. The aim is to support the transition to net zero and deliver improved productivity and sustainability in advanced and high value dairy production and manufacturing.
Projects should focus on one or more of the following:
- Novel and high value products from dairy systems.
- Decarbonising dairy production and manufacturing.
- Waste minimisation and resource recirculation.
- Reduced environmental impact and increased sustainability, for example biodiversity, soil, air and water quality.
- Sensor development and digitisation to improve productivity, welfare of staff and animals and product quality, including nutritional characteristics.
- Value addition in the dairy supply chain.
Up to £1.1 million has been allocated to fund industrial research projects. Each project’s total grant funding request must be between £50,000 and £250,000.
This competition is open to collaborations only. To lead a project an organisation must be:
- Either a UK registered business of any size or a UK farming business of any size.
- Able to evidence that they are an established business, including sole traders and partnerships.
- Based in Cumbria, South or West Scotland or carry out significant economic activity in that region.
To collaborate with the lead, an organisation must be a UK based farmer or a UK registered business of any size, academic institution, charity, not for profit, public sector organisation, or research and technology organisation (RTO).
Applications are open between 7 May 2024 and 19 June 2024 (11:00).
