PheroSyn, the company spun-out from Rothamsted Research to develop and produce novel pheromones, has been awarded part of Innovate UK’s £134 million Sustainable Innovation Fund (SIF) to help development of its new pest insect pheromones. The funds will be used in a project to optimise sustainable green chemistry routes for the production of two high value pear midge pheromones.
The six month experimental development project will enable PheroSyn to expand its portfolio by developing novel pear midge pheromones into effective commercial products that will find use in midge-specific traps, capable of detecting early stage infestations of midges in crops.
Midges are tiny flying insects that affect a variety of crops and are a significant global pest of arable and horticultural food production. Management of midges currently relies on pesticides, and these can then enter the human and animal food chain. While pheromones are used increasingly to manage pests, there are virtually no midge sex pheromones currently available on the market.
“We are very grateful for this SIF funding, which will accelerate our technical and commercial development, and ultimately lead to our supplying effective, sensitive, long-lasting, safe and affordable tools to farmers and growers on a global scale. Without the funding, our efforts would have been delayed by several months due to the pandemic.”
Daniel Bahia, Business Manager at PheroSyn
Innovate UK Executive Chair Dr Ian Campbell said: In these difficult times we have seen the best of British business innovation. The pandemic is not just a health emergency but one that impacts society and the economy.
“PheroSyn, along with every initiative Innovate UK has supported through this fund, is an important step forward in driving sustainable economic development. Each one is also helping to realise the ambitions of hard-working people.”
The winners of Innovate UK’s SIF were confirmed by Business Secretary Alok Sharma.
Company contact:
Daniel Bahia
Business Manager
PheroSyn Ltd
Tel: +44 (0)7539 695382, E-mail: info@pherosyn.com
Editorial contact:
Terry Nicklin
KeynotePR
Tel: +44 (0)7923 540695
E-mail: terry@keynotepr.com
About PheroSyn
PheroSyn is a spin-out from Rothamsted Research, and comprises a world-leading team of scientists with over 40 years’ collective experience of researching and developing insect pheromone baits. It was founded by Daniel Bahia, Business Manager at PheroSyn, Dr Michael Birkett, Principal Chemical Ecologist, Dr John Caulfield and Dr David Withall, Research Scientists at Rothamsted Research.
PheroSyn benefits from being part of the SHAKE Climate Change programme, the consortium of leading scientific research and academic institutions formed to identify innovative solutions to tackle climate change linked to the agri-food sector.
PheroSyn supports the farming community as the basis of a sustainable and socially responsible sector. For more information visit www.pherosyn.com
About UKRI
Innovate UK drives productivity and economic growth by supporting businesses to develop and realise the potential of new ideas. It connects businesses to the partners, customers and investors that can help them turn ideas into commercially successful products and services and business growth.
UKRI funds businesses and research collaborations to accelerate innovation and drive buinsess investment into R&D. Support is available to businesses across all economic sectors, value chains and UK regions. Innovate UK is part of UK Research and Innovation. For more information visit www.innovateuk.ukri.org
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