Early-Career Innovators’ Forum be part of the solution

Food security and climate change are two of the biggest challenges facing the global community – and you have an opportunity to be part of the solution with a career in agriculture. Find out more with the Early-Career Innovators’ Forum.

Careers in agriculture are now just as likely to involve remote working as getting your boots dirty, but there are many opportunities to combine the two.

This a chance to explore how a background in biology, engineering, teaching, business management – or a range of other disciplines – can lead you to a career in agriculture.

About ECIF

The Early-Career Innovators’ Forum (ECIF), coordinated by Agri-TechE, creates opportunities for people at an early stage of their careers, or contemplating a job change, to network with others across the agricultural sector.

Over the last few years the group (formerly known as YIF) have had the chance to go behind the scenes at British Sugar, the UK’s first bioethanol power plant, where excess heat is used to grow medicinal cannabis plants;  join a virtual tour of climate tech in an orchard, visit the BBRO trials site where camouflage is used to deter pests; and to go under cover at EW Pepper.

Agri-Tech Careers Morning – online event 21 April 2023 

At the ECIF ‘Agri-Tech Careers Morning’ people from different backgrounds will talk about their work in agriculture and agri-tech, ranging from agronomy to knowledge exchange, machinery to investment analysts.

Speakers we’ll be hearing from include:

• Andrew Spinks, originally a farmer, now an agricultural business consultant at Brown & Co
• Penny Hundleby, Senior Plant Scientist, John Innes Centre
• George Crane, a former researcher, now working as an agri-tech investment analyst with YARA
• Michael Casanova, Group HR Director at Ben Burgess, one of the UK’s leading John Deere dealership
• Francesca Broom, Knowledge Exchange Manager at the British Beet Research Organisation working to translate scientific findings to on-farm practices

Dafydd Wright, Managing Partner at SCi Partners will be giving an overview with case-studies from across the agri-tech ecosystem. 

John Wallace, Chair of The Morley Agricultural Foundation (who kindly sponsor ECIF) said of the Careers Afternoon: 

“This exciting careers afternoon is all about how agriculture will look in future years. Change in agriculture is constant and with new technologies developing fast in practically every aspect of the industry, that adage has never been truer. The new skills required for these new opportunities give huge opportunities for a person who wants to work in a multi-skilled agricultural environment.”

Opportunities in agriculture

From a PhD to working in agri-tech investment, and from a farm business to agriculture business consultancy, this event is a chance to meet people from across the industry – including those who interact directly with farmers giving technical advice and business support, or working in sales or technology development for a large or small business.

To gain a flavour of potential jobs, have a look at the Opportunity Zone for the latest job opportunities from across the Agri-Tech ecosystem.

Positions in March include: funded PhD studentships in robotics; opportunities for scientists at Germains Seed Technology, Glaia and NIAB;  and for marketeers at ADAS and Sentry Ltd, for engineers at Zayndu and Olombria and a host of administrative roles.

Register now

More information about the Early Career Innovators’ Forum

The ECIF is kindly sponsored by The Morley Agricultural Foundation (TMAF). TMAF is a charity which hosts and facilitates agricultural research and education, much of it on its own farm. The research is carried out by a number of bodies including the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) and the John Innes Centre (JIC).