13 December 2022
|
Relocation will aid grant-funded work that will sustainably change the way potatoes are grown, stored and transported.
AGRI-TECH company B-hive Innovations has relocated to a new research and development premises to bolster its operations in the fresh produce industry.
This follows major Innovate UK and DEFRA-backed funding into work that will sustainably change the way potatoes are grown, stored and transported.
B-hive has relocated within the Lincoln Science & Innovation Park to the new Alchemy Building – a dedicated facility for R&D specialist occupiers that has been supported by the European Regional Development Fund and regional partnership body, the Midlands Engine. The Alchemy Building, part of the continual development of the Science Park, is a stone’s throw from B-hive’s previous offices at Boole Technology Centre, where the company was launched in 2017.
In September, B-hive, along with several commercial and academic partners, was awarded £2.06m by The Farming Innovation Programme, to investigate new methods that will contribute towards a net zero carbon supply chain for potato crop.
As part of its expansion, B-hive has made 12 recent appointments across its departments. Turn to the ‘Appointments’ section on page 36 for more details.
This includes recruitment at leadership level of Dr Andrew Gill, general manager, Dr Mercedes Torres Torres, Head of Machine Learning, and Dr Ben Murphy, Head of Engineering.
Andy Gill brings 25 years of experience leading commercially-relevant bioscience research, including for the University of Lincoln and University of Edinburgh.
Andy said: “We hope to continue to expand our team, as we apply strategically for additional funding to develop agri-tech innovations. As well as the work we undertake at the office or laboratory, field work is pivotal to project research and development, so it’s great that we can remain close to growers in Lincolnshire who we have established great working relationships with. Our East Midlands base also gives us a fantastic position centrally to liaise with our collaborators, including farmers and researchers up and down the country.”
