The university has launched Food & Agriculture Science Transformer in a bid to uncover top-tier concepts based on food, agriculture and animal science.
University of Edinburgh and venture building studio Deep Science Ventures (DSV) have joined forces to form a new incubator focused on food, animal and agriculture-related sciences.
The Food & Agriculture Science Transformer (Fast) is supported by Edinburgh Innovations – the university’s commercialisation service – with funding from animal health research charity Roslin Foundation and government research board UK Research and Innovation’s research council for biotechnology and biological sciences.
Fast will operate as a virtual program to coach University of Edinburgh-allied businesses as well as relevant startups from other UK ecosystems and internationally.
In addition to virtual resources, Fast will have a physical presence at the university’s Roslin Innovation Centre, including flexible workspace and accommodation, as well as at DSV’s headquarters in London.
The partners hope Fast will connect innovators and entrepreneurs to global commercial and technology opportunities as they accrue the skills needed to succeed in their target market.
Founded in 2016, DSV typically spends a year coaching new, science-oriented startups to help validate concepts in neglected areas where it believes high impact could be achieved.
The firm offers assistance in matters such as product validation along with a minimum £50,000 ($62,200) equity investment, ranging up to $622,000 in some cases.
DSV’s existing agriculture portfolio includes Beta Bugs, an insect breeding company situated next to the university’s Roslin Institute, and soil testing product developer PES Technologies.
John Mackenzie, chief executive of Roslin Innovation Centre, said: “Attracting worldwide scientific and entrepreneurial talent and combining them with market-led opportunities to create companies of scale in animal health, agritech and aquaculture (AAA).
“Fast will hopefully find and create the first AAA unicorn company, which will only augment our world-leading position at University of Edinburgh’s Easter Bush Campus.”
