TIDMLST
RNS Number : 1312N
Light Science Tech. Holdings PLC
21 September 2023
Light Science Technologies Holdings plc
("LSTH", the "Company" or the "Group")
Award of Grant Funding
Funded by DEFRA & UKRI, targeting reduce d environmental
damage from potato produc tion
Light Science Technologies Holdings plc (AIM: LST), the
controlled environment agriculture ("CEA") technology and contract
electronics manufacturing ("CEM") group, announces that it is
participating in a 36-month GBP1.74m collaboration, funded by The
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs ("Defra") and
the UK Research and Innovation ("UKRI") Transforming Food
Production Challenge. LSTH will receive a grant of GBP209,506 over
the 36-month programme .
The project, Transformative Reduced Input Potatoes ("TRIP"),
consortium includes a range of commercial potato growers across
England - from Lincolnshire to Cornwall - and includes farms owned
and managed by Dyson Farming Ltd ("Dyson Farming"). It will test
out a range of regenerative cultivation methods that could reduce
the environmental damage caused by producing potatoes.
As part of the collaboration the Company will add Nitrous Oxide
sensing capabilities to its existing SensorGROW product and supply
sensors to various growing sites, phased to be delivered in Q2
2024.
Over the 36-month period TRIP will investigate new breeds of
disease resistant potato, new nutrient treatments for use on leaves
instead of soil, reduced tillage methods including use of mulches
as a growing medium and new methods to monitor greenhouse gas
emissions from farmers' fields.
Dyson Farming, The James Hutton Institute, Emerald Research, The
Sarvari Research Trust and scientists from Bangor University's
School of Environmental and Natural Science and Biocomposites
Centre will all collaborate with LSTH on the project.
Dr Christine Jones, Dyson Farming, commented : "Many farmers are
seeking ways of producing their crops more sustainably but the
particular requirements for growing a potato crop can make it a
challenge to incorporate potatoes into a sustainable rotation.
Outcomes from the TRIP project can be expected to offer growers a
range of methods to reduce inputs to, and impact from, potato
crops. Collaboration between the TRIP partners provides an exciting
opportunity to bring together different areas of development and to
turn science into practice for potato growers."
Simon Deacon, Chief Executive Officer of LSTH, commented : "We
are delighted to be involved in such a strong consortium and
grateful for the support of UKRI and Defra. This will be an
exciting opportunity to take SensorGROW from indoor to outdoor
growing, while enabling the Company to forge new relationships
within the research, policy, and commercial growing pools."
For additional information please contact:
Light Science Technologies Holdings www.lightsciencetechnologiesholdings.com
plc
Simon Deacon, Chief Executive Officer via Walbrook PR
Jim Snooks, Chief Financial Officer
Andrew Hempsall, Chief Operating
Officer
Strand Hanson Limited (Nominated Tel: +44 (0) 20 7409 3494
& Financial Adviser)
Ritchie Balmer / James Harris /
Rob Patrick
Oberon Capital (Broker)
Mike Seabrook / Nick Lovering Tel: +44 (0) 203 179 5300
Walbrook PR Ltd (Media & Investor Tel: +44 (0)20 7933 8780 or
Relations) lst@walbrookpr.com
Nick Rome / Paul McManus
This announcement contains inside information for the purposes
of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014, as
it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended.
About Light Science Technologies Holdings plc (
www.lightsciencetechnologiesholdings.com )
Light Science Technologies Holdings plc is the holding company
of the Group's controlled environment agriculture ("CEA") division,
comprising Light Science Technologies Ltd ("Light Science
Technologies") and Tomtech (UK) Limited ("Tomtech"), alongside its
contract electronics manufacturing ("CEM") division, UK Circuits
and Electronics Solutions Limited ("UK Circuits").
Controlled Environment Agriculture
Light Science Technologies was founded in 2019 and is the
Company's grow lights and sensor technology business, providing
bespoke recipes and technologies tailored to customers' needs -
with key targets including indoor, vertical, glasshouses,
polytunnels and medicinal farming markets. The all-in-one CEA
solution will include analysing customers' crop growing
requirements to provide bespoke, low-energy and sustainable
equipment. Tomtech, which was acquired in September 2023, further
broadened the Group's portfolio with its control systems usable
across multiple crops in glasshouses and other horticultural
environments. Additionally, it generates long-term recurring
revenues via maintenance, servicing, and software contracts.
Market drivers include food and water shortages in many parts of
the world; growing global population; UK and other government
policy encouraging sustainable and efficient growth methods;
increased scrutiny of the effect of food production on climate
change and the continuing transition away from processed foods.
sensorGROW
sensorGROW was launched in June 2022 and its technology will
enable farmers to monitor the following key air zone growing
factors in real-time: carbon dioxide levels, humidity, light,
oxygen - and in the future: air speed, plant disease, soil,
temperature and water pH levels. By monitoring these key growing
factors, farmers can save money through better management of
resources: water, nutrients, fertilisers and energy - while
increasing yields and producing healthier crops.
nurturGROW
nurturGROW is a sustainable grow lighting product range,
offering an innovative, high-performance and cost-effective
solution for indoor farming, covering greenhouses, vertical
farming, polytunnels and medicinal plants.
Created with four core component parts, the nurturGROW range is
made of high quality, durable materials to give growers the ideal
balance between strength and optimal performance, minimising the
amount of materials needed to drastically cut down on waste and
reduce carbon footprint.
Tomtech
Tomtech was established in 1986 as a sole trader and
incorporated as Tomtech (UK) Limited in 2011. Since then, it has
become a UK leader in control systems for commercial greenhouses
and polytunnels. Since launching its first product over 35 years
ago, it has been at the forefront of the sector, providing
innovative and effective products and solutions.
It now provides comprehensive solutions to customers helping
them create, monitor and maintain an optimised cultivating
environment within glasshouses and other horticultural spaces. Its
sensors monitor temperature, humidity, light, carbon dioxide, pH,
nutrients and more - whilst its intelligent systems help control
irrigation, fertigation, dosing, ventilation, light and more.
Its highly adaptive systems are used throughout the UK and
Ireland to optimise growing conditions for multiple types of crops
grown within commercial greenhouses and other horticultural
environments.
Contract Electronics Manufacturing
UK Circuits is the Company's CEM focussed division, profit
making with strong revenues. The Group designs, procures, and
manufactures high-quality CEM products, specialising in Printed
Circuit Boards, which are used in a range of sectors including
audio, automotive, electronics, gas detection, lighting, pest
control, telecommunications and, more recently, the CEA market.
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