Hartpury’s vision is to radically develop its 360-hectare campus to create a pioneering Digital Innovation Farm, in response to an increasingly digital world with global demand for new technology in farming – ensuring students are not just ‘industry ready’ for today but prepared for tomorrow and beyond.
Funding from GFirst LEP’s Getting Building Fund, the European Regional Development Fund and the Elizabeth Creak Charitable Trust, firmly establishes the next phase of our Digital Innovation Farm 'accelerator' initiative through Hartpury's Tech Box Park, which includes our recently launched Agri-Tech Centre.
To find out more about our Tech Box Park programme and how we can support you, or book a tour of our facilities, please click the Book a Tour button.
Book tourFunding for Hartpury’s Digital Innovation Farm Tech Box Park has been provided by the GFirst LEP ‘Getting Building Fund’, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Elizabeth Creak Charitable Trust.
Join us for our autumn networking event - a relaxed morning of networking with innovative SMEs. Tour our new facilities and find out what expert, free business support packages are available for your business.
This event is open to all Gloucestershire-based businesses and neighbouring counties that are either working in the Agri-Tech sector or have an interest in developing new or existing products for the Agri-Tech sector.
Each of our five Tech Box units provide an innovative, self-contained working space for desk-based product development and testing.
Our flexible high-tech work and demonstration space offers SME’s a unique environment to launch and demonstrate products to clients both physically and virtually.
The 16ft x 40ft Tech Box Park units have been created using environmentally friendly, repurposed shipping containers clad in cedar wood and compliment the local environment at Hartpury's Home Farm.
Limited spaces available.
Based within a well-connected agricultural heartland, Tech Box Park benefits include:
The Hartpury Tech Box Park Programme provides support to businesses in Gloucestershire looking to develop new or existing Agri-Tech products or services and help them accelerate to market. Support packages include:
Helping your business to understand sustainability good practice, meet environmental standards and reach accreditation.
Supporting your business to analyse, test and demonstrate new and existing products to clients physically and virtually.
Providing your business with access to agricultural trial and test beds to improve productivity and efficiency.
Offering your business a platform to promote products to Hartpury’s academics, students, peers, and potential customers.
Spend £10K and get £5K back!
Once you’ve completed a minimum of 12 hours of engagement on the programme i.e. through our business support packages, events and specialist support activities - you can apply for an Innovation Voucher.
Successful applications will be given a reimbursed grant of £5K.
You can use your Innovation Voucher to develop your business including product / service development or enhancement, process improvement or market research. If it enables the growth and development of your business - you can apply.
Get in touch to find out more.
Expressions of interest now being taken.
If you would like to find out more about the opportunities available for your business, we’d love to hear from you:
email: enquiries@DIA-T.Hartpury.ac.uk
tel: 01452 702546
Not sure if the Tech Box Park suits your needs? Fill out this short form below and we will point you in the right direction
Agriculture Expression of Interest Form
"We are in a huge time of change as the UK moves into a new era of agriculture. Farmers are the most important people in this industry, and we want to support them to make more informed and better business decisions. Driving these improvements will ultimately help us all strive toward a stronger agricultural industry."
“The DronePrep team have been working closely with the Hartpury Agritech team to explore how farmers can use drones to create diversified income for farm estates. It has been an amazing adventure thus far and we are incredibly excited to join the Tech Box Park community to strengthen ties with Hartpury and the farming community.”
"By placing the tools for driving sustainable growth into the hands of every business leader, we can build a community determined to make sustainability business as usual.”
“The University’s academic and agri-tech staff and students provide a perfect opportunity for partnership for both organisations, and we look forward to developing more learning opportunities as well as innovative products and solutions.”
"Emerald Research is a market leader in researching and developing our OptiYield 'Next Generation' plant nutrient, bio stimulant, and biological products. We're very excited to be working with Hartpury to develop, communicate, and inform the agricultural community and wider public about the importance of these technologies towards sustainable, net-zero, and regenerative farming"
“As a company we are highly innovative. Whether it’s using drone technology to scare pigeons or detect pests in crops, killing pathogens using UV Lighting, or developing sand heat storage energy solutions to take farms towards zero carbon. We hope that all our technologies will have a significant impact on the industry.
“I am enthusiastic about our products and the mental health and well-being benefits using our ‘touch and feel’ products bring to our users. The testing and trialing using fellow Tech Box member, Novazera’s new Biopolymer products is a brand-new innovation for us and something that, we are extremely excited about.”
“We are a passionate team of highly qualified product designers with extensive industry experience in a range of sectors. We have worked with over 100 clients and received awards and commendations for our design work. Trusted by our clients to develop their ground breaking products, taking ideas from conception through a rigorous product development process to create products ready for manufacture and product on shelf”
“Sustainable Business Design is a Cheltenham-based consultancy specialising in helping businesses to place sustainability firmly at the heart of the way they deliver value to their customers and in helping business prepare for the low-carbon economy through it’s “Go Climate Positive” programme. We believe that the problems of resource scarcity and climate change can be a catalyst for innovation and growth, as much as they are challenges to overcome.”
"Albright IP are a professional firm of British and European Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys, based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Our UK and European attorney teams have many years of experience in invention and brand protection, and work for clients in the UK and around the world."
"The Ideas Agency are the people behind the ideas of some of the most ambitious brands on the planet. We work to create ideas for new products, services, and marketing strategies that keep our clients relevant to their customers and ahead of the curve"
The Invest in Gloucestershire team have produced an inspiring place setting video highlighting the County’s strengths in cyber and digital technology, agri-tech, advanced engineering and renewables.
Gloucestershire has an impressive reputation for high growth business and innovation, especially now with the county earmarked for strong economic growth and many new infrastructure and development projects such as the Forum in Gloucester and the Golden Valley development in West Cheltenham. The landmark video has been produced to reach out to international businesses to showcase the many benefits and assets the county has to offer and demonstrate that Gloucestershire is a great place for businesses to innovate and grow.