Company Directory

Agri-tech and bioscience innovation campus in mid Wales

AberInnovation is a BBSRC and Welsh Government-funded innovation campus providing research facilities, business support and accelerator programmes for companies in agri-tech, food and drink and industrial biotechnology. The campus operates five specialist centres covering biorefining, future foods, analytical science, seed biobanking and innovation, and runs the BioAccelerate programme for early-stage bioscience ventures. Part of Aberystwyth University, the campus is co-located with the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences.

Bacterial bioinoculant replacing synthetic nitrogen fertiliser in crops

NetZeroNitrogen is a biotechnology company developing a biological alternative to synthetic nitrogen fertiliser based on a naturally occurring endophytic bacterium that fixes atmospheric nitrogen within plant cells. The technology is designed to reduce dependence on synthetic nitrogen inputs, lowering associated greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining or improving crop yields. Initial target applications are in rice cultivation, with field trials underway across Southeast Asia.

Aquaculture genetics services and genomic selective breeding programmes

Xelect is a Scottish genetic services company providing selective breeding programme management and genomic analysis for aquaculture producers worldwide. The company manages over 30 active programmes across 16 species, including salmon, trout, shrimp, sea bass, and tilapia, combining high-throughput SNP genotyping with its proprietary software to optimise mating decisions and broodstock selection. Services include pedigree reconstruction, triploidy validation, sex determination, and bioeconomic modelling.

Global crop protection, seed and digital agriculture solutions provider

Corteva Agriscience UK is the British operating subsidiary of Corteva, Inc., a global agriculture company formed from the DuPont Pioneer, Dow AgroSciences and DuPont Crop Protection businesses. The company supplies Pioneer and Brevant seed varieties, crop protection products including herbicides, insecticides and fungicides, and an expanding range of biological products derived from microorganisms. Corteva also provides UK farmers with agronomic support and digital agriculture tools, helping growers improve productivity while reducing reliance on synthetic inputs.

BBSRC-funded national institute for animal biosciences research

The Roslin Institute is a BBSRC-funded national institute for animal biosciences research, part of the University of Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. Research is organised around three challenge areas: sustainable farmed animal production, infectious disease detection and prevention, and translational animal and human health. The Institute has a strong track record in translational spinout activity, including RoslinCT and Roslin Technologies, and has pioneered gene editing applications in livestock

Gene editing platform for disease-resistant, climate-resilient tropical crops

Tropic Biosciences is an agricultural biotechnology company developing gene-edited varieties of tropical crops, including banana, coffee, and rice, with a focus on disease resistance, climate resilience, and yield improvement. Its proprietary platform combines gene editing with RNA interference to redirect a plant's natural silencing mechanisms without introducing foreign DNA, enabling non-GMO classification in several markets. The platform is licensed to major agricultural companies including BASF, Corteva, and Syngenta for trait development across additional crop species.

Microbiome platform optimising hydroponic crop performance

Concert Bio is an agricultural biotechnology company developing microbial products to optimise crop performance in hydroponic greenhouses. Its platform combines the world's largest hydroponic microbiome database with machine learning to identify beneficial microbes tailored for soilless growing systems. The company's first commercial product has demonstrated average yield improvements of 9.9% across multiple crops in commercial grower trials. Concert Bio serves greenhouse growers across the UK and Europe.

Biopesticides, insect lures and smart traps for sustainable pest management

Razbio is a Welsh biotech company developing sustainable pest management solutions for agriculture and public health. Its product portfolio spans fungal biopesticides, AI-identified insect lures and repellents, and automated AI-equipped smart traps for field pest monitoring. Validated products include a lure for Western Flower Thrips deployed at commercial UK strawberry farms. The company also develops bio-fertilisers and soil treatments targeting crop yield optimisation. Research partnerships include University College London via the AgRIA programme.

Portable semen quality analyser for livestock fertility assessment

Dyneval is a Scottish biotechnology company that developed the UK's only portable instrument for measuring livestock semen quality. The technology quantifies sperm motility lifetime under quasi-physiological conditions, providing vets and genetics companies with on-site data to inform breeding decisions and reduce poor conception rates. The platform targets cattle fertility and is being extended to other livestock species and human fertility applications.

AI platform predicting complex crop and livestock traits from RNA-Seq data

TraitSeq is an agri-biotech company providing an AI-based platform that predicts complex phenotypic traits in crops and livestock using RNA sequencing data and bespoke machine learning algorithms. The platform identifies transcriptomic biomarkers and builds predictive models for traits such as yield, disease resistance, and climate resilience, enabling agrochemical, biological input, and gene editing companies to evaluate products earlier and reduce field trial dependency. TraitSeq serves breeders, biotechs, and agrochemical researchers across plant and animal applications.

Molecular farming platform producing specialty proteins from crop leaves

Kyomei is a biotechnology company developing a molecular farming platform that genetically engineers crop plants to produce high-value specialty proteins in their leaves. The company extracts these proteins from agricultural leaf waste that would otherwise be discarded at harvest. Kyomei's ingredients target food manufacturers seeking natural replacements for synthetic emulsifiers and stabilisers, with applications also in cosmetics and materials.

Plant-based expression platform for recombinant protein production

Bright Biotech is a UK CDMO developing and applying a proprietary plant-based expression system for the production of recombinant proteins. Its platform uses chloroplast engineering in tobacco plants to express high yields of target proteins, offering an animal-free and scalable alternative to conventional cell-based manufacturing. It supplies recombinant growth factors to the life sciences and agri-food sectors, with applications in regenerative medicine and cultivated meat production.