Bristol, 14th February 2025 – Gain Holdings Limited is proud to announce that it has been awarded a 2-year feasibility grant from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) through the Farming Innovation Programme Nutrient Management Competition, administered by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency. This funding will support the project titled “Innovative CRISPR Solutions for Optimising Nitrogen Management in Agriculture – ICON”, which aims to deliver proof-of-concept prototypes for controlling key steps in the soil nitrogen cycle using Gain Holdings’ proprietary CRISPR/Cas microbiome engineering technology.
The ICON project is run in collaboration with the John Innes Centre (JIC) and focuses on developing new agricultural biological products that will enable farmers to sustainably inhibit ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification processes in their soils. This innovation is expected to increase nitrogen nutrient use efficiency, reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers, and minimize environmental pollution by ammonia, nitrates, and nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas 300 times more potent than CO2.
Key Benefits of the ICON Project:
- Increased Nitrogen Use Efficiency: Reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers.
- Environmental Protection: Lowering emissions of harmful pollutants.
- Sustainable Agriculture: Promoting soil health and microbial diversity.
Dr Jason Vincent, Managing Director of Flourish Bioscience, a subsidiary of Gain Holdings, stated, “We are pleased to bring Guided Biotics® into the soil health and nutrient management setting – where growers increasingly prioritize preserving and enhancing the quality of their soils through the use of nature-forward solutions to ensure high yields from their crops now and in the future. We are excited to be working with our excellent collaborators at the JIC, with their world-leading expertise in the soil microbiome and N-cycle dynamics in lab and field settings.”
About Gain Holdings Limited: Gain Holdings Limited unites three biotech businesses that utilize patented CRISPR technologies to detect and eliminate pathogens affecting plants, animals, and humans. Each business addresses specific challenges within the food supply chain, including protecting farm yields without chemicals, providing rapid diagnostic devices for food safety, and developing novel vaccines for various pathogens. Flourish Bioscience, Gain Holdings Crop Science business, employs Guided Biotics® CRISPR technology to manage the crop microbiome by selectively targeting harmful pathogens and processes in the crop microbiome, enhancing farm productivity and sustainability.
For more information visit: www.gain.holdings
About John Innes Centre: The John Innes Centre (JIC) is a world-leading research institute based in the UK, specializing in plant and microbial science. JIC’s mission is to generate knowledge of plants and microbes through innovative research, and to apply this knowledge to benefit agriculture, the environment, human health and well-being. The centre collaborates with various partners to drive scientific advancements and address global challenges in food security and sustainability.
For more information visit: https://www.jic.ac.uk
Innovate UK and DEFRA Support: This project is funded by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) through the Farming Innovation Programme Nutrient Management Competition. DEFRA is working in partnership with Innovate UK to deliver the programme. Innovate UK drives productivity and economic growth by supporting businesses to develop and realize the potential of new ideas. They connect businesses to partners, customers, and investors, helping turn ideas into commercially successful products and services.
Innovate UK is part of UK Research and Innovation. For more information visit: https://www.ukri.org/councils/innovate-uk/
For more information about the ICON project or Gain Holdings Limited, please contact:
Jason Vincent Managing Director, Flourish Bioscience Gain Holdings Limited jason@flourish.bio
