The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has joined the Geovation Accelerator Programme and will fund three successful start-ups to the tune of £20,000 in the upcoming autumn cohort.
The equity free funding will be awarded to innovative solutions to challenges in land use using location, property and Earth Observation data.
Start-ups that can help decision-makers make better land use choices through data, digital tools and spatial insights to support more efficient, resilient and multifunctional uses of land across housing and infrastructure are particularly welcome, Defra said
The funding is a direct response to Defra’s Land Use Framework, which called for partners in government to put geospatial data in the hands of those who need it.
Until now, the Geovation Accelerator Programme has been an Ordnance Survey (OS) initiative in association with HM Land Registry (HMLR), supporting founders who are using high-quality public sector data and emerging technologies to unlock new value across the economy.
Location Intelligence start-ups have been supported by OS, while proptech has been delivered in association with HMLR. By extending the collaboration to include Defra, Geovation says it can help more startups by providing more data and specialist support.
Support from the Accelerator Programme includes a tailored programme of targeted workshops, one-to-one mentoring and technical support from the Geovation team.
With Defra’s support, the three new land use start-ups will be provided with additional mentoring from Satellite Applications Catapult (SAC) to enable matchmaking for pilots and readying the startups for procurement.
OS chief executive Nick Bolton said: “We are delighted that Defra has joined the Geovation Accelerator Programme.
“We help founders apply trusted location, land and environmental data to some of land’s most pressing challenges. This partnership will support new ideas to move from promising concepts to practical tools for land use, strengthening productivity, resilience and sustainability across the important work that Defra does.”
More than a dozen start-ups showing innovative use of data in land use and management have already been supported through the accelerator programme.
Land App, founded by fourth-generation farmer Tim Hopkin, was successful in the inaugural programme in 2015. His solution was an easy-to-use digital mapping platform that helps land managers unlock the full potential of their land.
A decade later, Land App is now a trusted national platform on which 80% of England’s agricultural land is already mapped.
Tim Hopkin, founder of Land App, said: “We were incredibly fortunate to join Geovation’s very first cohort. That support, and the close relationships we’ve since built with Ordnance Survey, Defra and HM Land Registry, gave us the foundation to grow Land App into the national platform it is today.
“It’s brilliant to see Defra backing this cohort directly, especially with the Land Use Framework putting data-driven land decisions front and centre. Any startup with a genuinely game-changing idea should apply – Geovation is a fantastic network for anyone serious about building a more resilient Britain.”
Geovation has supported over 180 innovators, with more than 70% progressing through the accelerator programme.
The programme is open to applications for the autumn cohort. For more information about how to apply, visit Geovation UK.
