Start-up hubs provides a regional boost
Two new agtech start-up hubs will open, one in the South East and one on the Eyre Peninsula.
Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister David Basham announced the new start-up hubs at yesterday's AdvanceAg conference.
"The hubs are very much about letting farmers have access to people developing new ideas and those developing new ideas having access to farmers so they can actually fine-tune their production to make it commercially viable and extendable," Mr Basham said.
"It's about bringing all the parties together so the conversations can occur to achieve better outcomes.
"We know that increasing the use of agtech on-farm and throughout the supply chain will be a boom for the whole state with our farmers growing more food and profitability.
"Agtech - which can include sensors, farm management software, imagery, smart farm equipment and genomics - enables agribusiness to innovate, grow and adopt more efficient practices."
The South East, the start-up hub will use the Struan Research Centre and Struan and Kybybolite Best Practice Demonstration Farms as focal points for development and commercialisation of agtech which supports livestock and grazing systems.
While the Eyre Peninsula start-up hub will utilise the Minnipa Agricultural Centre and Farm as a focal point for the growth of agtech that supports broad-acre cropping and sheep production systems.
Designed to specifically support agtech entrepreneurs in developing innovative technology capabilities the hubs will help farmers solve critical agricultural industry challenges.
The agtech start up hubs, which will be supported by BDO Advisory's agtech division and Hydra Consulting, will nurture ideas from concept to testing and then onto adoption by farmers.
Expressions of interest are now being sought from agtech entrepreneurs who would like assistance to develop and commercialise their ideas.
Details: www.pir.sa.sa.gov.au/agtech
