DEFRA, Innovate UK, the UK Agri-Tech Centre and the Office for Investment all joined Nordic Edge to prepare Norwegian agritech companies for the UK market. The webinar on 21 October kicked off the delegation trip to the Midlands in December.
Screenshot from the webinar about Market Readiness 21 October.
Between them, the speakers covered policy, innovation, funding and investment. Tom Lewis leads agri-tech policy at DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) , the department responsible for farming in England. Kerry Young works in Innovate UK's Advanced Manufacturing Sustainable Agriculture team and is the UK National Contact Point for Horizon Europe in sustainable agriculture. Jennie Frost joined from the Office for Investment, which helps overseas companies set up in the UK.
James Kayam and Les Hurdiss represented the UK Agri-Tech Centre, the country's largest agritech organisation and a partner of Nordic Edge. Christopher Horne of AgriTech Advisory and Investment chaired the session.
“We do the market preparation at home, so the time in the UK goes to what only happens face to face: meetings with farms, distributors, ecosystem players and investors,” says Gunnar Crawford, Head of the Agritech Cluster at Nordic Edge.
Below are some highlights from the webinar. For the full summary or the recording, contact Inger Hanne Vikshåland at inger.hanne@nordicedge.org.
UK agriculture covers around 17 million hectares, about 70 per cent of the country's land, spread across 209,000 holdings. Christopher Horne showed how concentrated it is. Holdings above 100 hectares make up only 20 per cent of farms but farm 80 per cent of the land.
Around 80 per cent of arable inputs are sold through retailers and agronomy companies. Agronomists hold the key: according to Horne, about 95 per cent of farmers use one, and the relationship often lasts more than ten years. His advice was direct.
“Don't be just a new technology looking for a home. Try and really understand the farmers' problems and show how you can solve those problems,” said Horne.
He added that the most successful agritech products are not necessarily the best, but the ones that fit best into the farmer's own system.
Tom Lewis explained that DEFRA's Farming Innovation Programme has supported more than 300 projects since 2021, with over £188 million committed. At least £200 million is allocated to 2030. UK funding usually requires a UK lead partner, but Norwegian companies can join some consortia as partners.
Kerry Young pointed out that Norway and the UK are both associated countries in Horizon Europe, which opens the door to joint applications.
“Farming is farming. We do face very similar problems and challenges, but we also have some differences, and we can very much learn from one another,” said Young.
James Kayam presented the UK Agri-Tech Centre as the connector between research, industry, investors and government. Its work spans five themes: controlled environment agriculture, robotics and automation, advanced sensors, AI and data systems, and engineering biology.
Jennie Frost set out why the UK is worth a closer look. UK agritech turned over around £26 billion in 2026, and the UK leads Europe in attracting agrifood-tech investment. The Office for Investment helps overseas companies with everything from choosing a location to introductions to customers and research partners.
“You can do everything, from proof of concept and innovating to growing through to manufacturing in the UK,” said Frost.
The webinar was the first step. Nordic Edge and its UK partners are now finding the right contacts for each company. The delegation travels to the Midlands on 2–3 December, based in Birmingham.
Read more about the trip here.
“A company can spend a week in market and develop the knowledge and connections that would possibly take them years,” said James Kayam of the UK Agri-Tech Centre.
His colleague Les Hurdiss pointed to Norwegian company Nofence. The UK Agri-Tech Centre hosted the company four years ago. It grew from one person to ten before moving to larger premises, and it continues to grow in the UK.
The programme includes visits to the UK Agri-Tech Centre's Midlands Hub and Harper Adams University, the centre's Christmas networking event, and a Nordic Business Mixer in Birmingham with industry and investors. Day two is set aside for farm visits and meetings with dealers, distributors and UK companies. The goal is for every company to leave with a named UK contact and a concrete next step.
Gunnar Crawford, Inger Hanne Vikshåland and Paul Mathias Fiskaaen from Nordic Edge travel with the delegation.
“It's not only an introduction, but what could quite possibly become their home in the future,” said Gunnar Crawford.
There is room for 8–12 companies, and the deadline to sign up is 9. nov. 2026. The programme is worth NOK 60,000 per company. Innovation Norway covers NOK 45,000, so small and medium-sized companies pay NOK 15,000.