Project description
Smart farming for sustainable agriculture
Europe’s agricultural sector is a major producer and exporter. However, it is in flux. Farmers are under increasing pressure to transition toward sustainability, requiring new practices to cope with climate change, rising costs, and biodiversity loss. The EIC-funded A-FORWARD project aims to introduce a farming system that combines AI and modular robotics. A central base station coordinates crop and weed monitoring and a 3D mesh navigation system allows robots to operate precisely without GNSS or internet signals. This approach reduces operational costs and greenhouse gas emissions. The overall goal is to provide a climate-resilient solution for vegetable farmers. It shows that sustainable, biodiversity-friendly agriculture can also be highly efficient and profitable.
Objective
Nature Robots is a pioneering startup founded in 2022, spearheading a revolution in agriculture with its fully autonomous farming system, led by CEO Dr. Sebastian Pütz. Backed by €2.1 million in funding, the company aims to transform agriculture by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing biodiversity, and decentralizing food supply. Nature Robots aims to develop an autonomous full farming system that integrates resilient autonomous navigation technology with hardware robotics, operated from a base station, enabling farmers to implement regenerative practices and cut costs by up to 80%. With a team of around 10 professionals specializing in robotics, AI, software engineering, agriculture, and business development, supported by seasoned advisors, Nature Robots is poised to lead the way in scalable deep-tech solutions for vegetable farming. Their innovative system, comprising Autonomous Navigation, Weed and Crop Monitoring, Agronomic Planning, and Lero Robot & Implements, leverages AI and robotics to address the diverse needs of farmers in different climates and soils. Nature Robots' commitment to advancing regenerative agriculture through cutting-edge technology positions them as a leader in the field.
In this EIC project, Nature Robots aims to request Blended Finance with €2.5M of grant financing and €4M equity financing. This enables Nature Robot to bring the full farming system to TRL8 and ensure scalability.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences computer and information sciences software software applications system software
- social sciences political sciences political transitions revolutions
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture horticulture vegetable growing
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering robotics
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-EIC-ACC - HORIZON EIC Accelerator
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIC-2024-ACCELERATOR-02
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
49084 Osnabruck
Germany
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.