CIEL | FAQs
A Catalyst for Change
CIEL is one of four UK Agri-Tech Centres, a unique collaboration between Government, academia and industry to drive greater efficiency, resilience and wealth across the agrifood sector. A £90m investment from the UK’s strategic innovation agency (Innovate UK) is enabling the Centres to harness leading UK research and expertise as well as build new infrastructures and innovation.
There are few questions we regularly get asked, so, to save you time, please browse our FAQs. If you don’t find what you’re looking for please get in touch, we’ll be delighted to talk to you.
Do you have further questions?
Please get in touch with your query and we’ll be delighted to talk to you.
The Centres for Agricultural Innovation (or Agri-Tech Centres) form a key part of the UK Government’s Agri-Tech Strategy which was announced by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) in 2013.
Four Agri-Tech Centres have been launched since 2015/16 to help the UK:
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- turn agricultural innovation into commercial opportunities for UK businesses
- encourage inward investment
- improve farming practice
- The Centres are designed to:
- improve the economic performance of UK farming through the development and uptake of technologies, knowledge, and practices
- recreate UK leadership in this area by joining-up existing excellence
- resolve challenges that no one part of the sector can address alone
- open up opportunities for transformational change in the sector not possible in current structures
The Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock, or CIEL, works to identify key challenges to the UK’s farmed animal industries and provide world-leading, applied solutions through a research base of 12 leading UK academic institutions. We have helped to co-fund the development of new research facilities which are designed to bridge the gap between basic academic research and commercial products, utilising a range of projects, from small, pilot-scale experiments through to commercial-scale trials.
We act as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for the livestock sector, helping to simplify the research & innovation process by drawing together expertise, trial facilities and contracts across multiple institutions.
Please get in touch to find out how we might be able to work together.
Primarily we work with universities, large businesses, SMEs, trade groups, levy bodies and Government. Industry Members range from the supply trade pre-farmgate, processors and retailers to the animal health sector and SME innovators. We’re always interested in working with anyone who’s passionate about livestock production and have the ambition to be involved in research and innovation. We take a collaborative approach and actively work with the other Agri-Tech Centres on projects where appropriate, as well as other organisations directly involved with the livestock sector.
We provide a wide range of support for SMEs. We run a broad programme of technical events and Research & Development Committee (RDC) meetings, which allow for interdisciplinary networking. We can also help with securing public funding for internal R&D, inclusion in larger project consortia, managing projects, helping with dissemination or exploitation, and general business development assistance. Read more about the benefits of becoming a member of CIEL
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
No. We’re not a funding agency and aren’t able to offer grants, loans or other direct financial support. However, as part of our SME support and through our deep sector knowledge and wide network of Members, we can provide you with advice about raising private finance, help you identify the best grant-funding sources, or potentially partner with you on a larger bid application.
We’re always interested in partnering with large organisations to develop innovations that can have a significant impact on a sector or market. We can help you to secure public funding for competitive work or develop a specific consortium of interested parties for a pre-competitive project. Take a look at the services we can offer, and we will work together to develop a bespoke package of support for you.
Please use on on-page contact form and talk to us about you project!
We’re working to deliver solutions across dairy, beef and sheep, pig, poultry and aquaculture. Whilst we don’t have individual farmers as CIEL Members, we work with the Levy Boards and businesses across the supply chain.
Our Members all have their own farmer networks, so an individual farmer might not realise they are working with us as an Agri-Tech Centre, but they often are through one of their own networks.
You are very welcome to get in touch with us, and please check out our latest news and impact stories for how we are helping to improve and make the livestock food supply chain more productive, profitable and sustainable.
CIEL disseminates results of impact studies through well-established industry networks, including through AHDB, NFU and academic networks, and industry media.
Please contact us if you have interest in a particular project and we will put you in touch with the best person who can advise on the outcome.
We also welcome you to keep up to date with all our news, meet us as events and read our impact studies.
To become involved with one of our existing projects, you’ll need to join us and become a CIEL Member, or be a member of a CIEL registered trade body e.g. BSAS or AIC.
Occasionally, we promote open project calls in which we invite wider industry to get in touch and work with us.
We’re always interested in hearing about potential project ideas which will help us develop climate smart food systems, whilst maximising production and profitability, and enhancing animal health and welfare. The key areas we focus on include:
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- Antimicrobial resistance
- Climate smart food systems
- Resource efficiency & precision nutrition
- Endemic disease reduction
- Health and welfare management
- Food quality & integrity
If you have a viable proposal that could fit into one of these themes, or another idea with potential for a commercial return, please use our on-page contact form to get in touch with us!
Through CIEL, we can offer industry partners access to expertise and facilities throughout the UK in a simplified, transparent manner.
To discover all about our partners and capabilities, please explore our expertise section of our website to find out more.
Our experienced and multidisciplinary CIEL team offers core services in:
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- project management
- funding identification
- bid writing
- innovation brokering & consortium building
- market analysis
- route to market analysis
- knowledge exchange & SME engagement
These services can be utilised across a broad range of our Members’ projects throughout the livestock supply chain.
We work closely with several UK government departments, including BEIS, DEFRA, FSA, DIT and DFID.
CIEL also acts as an impartial body to help collect the views of the industry to help inform future government policy making and funding decisions.
We offer a focal point and amplification for the voices of our members, their associates and farm networks and, as such, have an important role to play in policy, regulation and practice across the UK agricultural landscape.
Our monthly newsletter, outlining funding opportunities and project bids is exclusive to CIEL Members. However, news about our asset developments, impact, industry events, project awards and job vacancies is regularly updated on our website and, yes, via our Twitter feed, on LinkedIn and YouTube.
Please regularly check back in with us often and…
Follow CIEL on Twitter for daily updates
