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Public Funding for Nature Metrics Ltd

Registration Number 09243907

NatureAir: a scalable low-cost ground-truthed reliable method for biodiversity monitoring in terrestrial ecosystems

132,875
2024-08-01 to 2026-01-31
Collaborative R&D
Monitoring biodiversity is a commercially important business estimated at \>£7B annually. Demand includes government regulatory monitoring and sectors such as infrastructure, extractives, natural resource management, financial and supply chain interests and activities such as assessing the success of bio-remediation. Methods to monitor biodiversity are characterised by being site-specific, time-bound surveys (e.g., soil/water environmental DNA-based methods), they are methods that typically require deployment of significant labour to collect data (traditional surveys), non-invasive methods such as bioacoustics are restricted to species with characteristic calls, whilst satellite monitoring overlooks a large proportion of the global biodiversity and biological interactions. In this project, NatureMetrics, working in collaboration with University College London and the Bats Conservation Trust as field partners will be working to bring to market a novel **non-invasive low-cost method to provide a large suite of biodiversity metrics and insights.**

RestoreDNA: Development of scalable eDNA-based solutions for biodiversity regulators and nature-related disclosure

180,870
2024-01-01 to 2025-06-30
Collaborative R&D
Businesses are more dependent on nature than previously thought, with ~$44trillion$ of economic value generation moderately or highly dependent on nature\[World Economic Forum,2020\]. \>50% of bank activity in emerging markets directly depends on nature\[Calice,et. al.(2023)\]. Biodiversity loss is also recognised by the world's central banks as a source of systemic risk. Consequently, regulators increasingly expect industries to manage nature-related impacts and risks. \>190 countries, including the UK and Switzerland, have committed to the goals and targets under the Global Biodiversity Framework\[GBF\]. Globally, GBF and the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures\[TNFD\] are bringing reporting and disclosure of business dependencies on nature and impacts to the forefront. However, **scalable provision of reliable biodiversity data to fulfil the requirements for nature disclosure are still lacking.** Current methods for measuring biodiversity are often simplistic, focusing on a single component of biodiversity, not-scalable, relying on large scale manual data collection and costly. Digital biodiversity indicators are continuously developed to measure and monitor pressures or threats, but these remain not ground-truthed. In the UK, several initiatives are working towards the development of simple decision-ready metrics (e.g., JNCC, Defra, CEH), but these are not available to industry at the scales required and remain strongly reliant on field data. Consequently, **commercial instruments to provide biodiversity data and monitoring across industries, at reportable spatial and temporal scales**, and able to adapt to upcoming frameworks for nature disclosure and underpin nature-positive impacts **are yet inexistent.** NatureMetrics\[UK-SME\] and Restor\[Swiss-Start-up\] in close collaboration with ETH Zurich\[Swiss-RO\] and Rothamsted-Research\[UK-RO\] join forces to go beyond ground-truthing. Combining our synergic technologies, we will develop and commercialise robust and scalable methods and metrics applicable at managerial time-scales. **NatureMetrics\[NM\]** is a world-leading innovator on biodiversity performance monitoring using environmental DNA (eDNA) and Earth Observation. T**he Crowther Lab\[ETH-Z\]** have created SEED, a platform for the conservation and restoration of nature, **Restor,** and co-founded the Global Forest and Soil Biodiversity Initiatives**. Rothamsted Research\[RR\]** works to achieve economically and environmentally sustainable farming practices.

Advanced biodiversity monitoring for results-based and effective agricultural policy and transformation

475,137
2022-12-01 to 2026-11-30
EU-Funded
no public description

Biodiversity Conservation to Mitigate the Risks of Emerging Infectious Diseases (BCOMING)

330,168
2022-08-01 to 2026-07-31
EU-Funded
no public description

NatureMetrics: RAMP-ID: Rapid Assessment and Monitoring of Pathogens using In-field Detection

319,575
2021-12-01 to 2023-11-30
Collaborative R&D
NatureMetrics, Agbioscout and the Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International (CABI) fuses together agronomy experts with global-leaders in soil/plant/pathogen and environmental DNA (eDNA) science to create '_RAMP-ID: Rapid Assessment and Monitoring of Pathogens using In-field Detection_'. Incorporating very recent advancements in eDNA monitoring approaches, RAMP-ID will be a low-cost, all-in-one, accurate portable testing kit, enabling non-experts to detect multiple pathogens (bacterial/viral/fungal) in agrosystems (plant-tissue/soil/water/seed) in 15-30mins, with results visualised simply in-field. This supports targeted/reduced use of agrochemicals (including prophylactic usage) equalling: a healthier countryside and more resilient food-supply, essential to achieve more productive, sustainable agricultural systems on the pathway towards net-zero.

NatureMetrics: MOSAIC

219,535
2021-05-01 to 2022-10-31
Collaborative R&D
NatureMetrics (NM) is an award-winning technology company using cutting-edge genetic techniques to monitor biodiversity. One of NatureMetrics' primary product segments is the detection of endangered species and invasive species from environmental samples. This can be for enabling planning permission, monitoring water or equipment used by utility and industrial clients or for conservation to name a few. Detecting and identifying organisms from tissue or environmental samples is conducted across a wide range of industries (construction/infrastructure/agriculture/fishing/health/legal sectors). Current competing technologies are limited in that they: require specialist laboratories, specialist personnel and expensive equipment (that are not portable and are impractical for field deployment); are most effective when applied to particular species, requiring multiple analyses to detect each one, becoming prohibitively expensive for clients; have a turnaround time of several weeks. By catalysing recent scientific advancements in DNA monitoring for conservation and biodiversity monitoring, NatureMetrics will develop and commercialise a product that allows rapid, cost-efficient, on-site detection of a suite of species that can be used by non-experts anywhere in the world and can be easily adapted to target other species that future clients may wish to detect. The project output is a platform, MOSAIC that aids in identifying endangered wildlife as well as invasive species, aiding to keep UK wildlife healthy and thriving.

NatureMetrics: Transforming Environmental Impact Assessment through eDNA Metabarcoding Sampling and Analysis

59,954
2020-04-01 to 2020-10-31
Knowledge Transfer Network
"**Challenge** Humans rely on biodiversity for survival, yet human activity (fishing, land reclamation, oil/gas exploration) is the number one cause for oceanic biodiversity decline \[NRDC, 2019\]. Data suggests that biodiversity also significantly influences the functioning of seagrass and mangrove ecosystems which provide food and habitat for fisheries, thereby affecting the livelihoods of many people living in coastal areas such as in Inhambane, Mozambique \[Duffy, 2006\]. Seagrass areas have decreased by 51% in areas of Mozambique over 21 years, affecting local communities livelihoods \[Bandeira, 2014; Nordlund, 2013\]. Current biodiversity measurement and assessment tools are either; * limited in application and expensive, accessible only by the government, or companies with sufficient finance. * Anecdotal information available from local communities, based on 'netting' (narrow scoped catch data) which lacks the scientific credibility to motivate regulatory change. **Intentions/Activities and Outputs** NatureMetrics is seeking to make eDNA monitoring commercially available for biodiversity assessments in developing countries such as Mozambique. The project aims to identify the feasibility of deploying what is already a successful process/solution in UK/Europe in developing countries to allow local communities, conservation organisations, government and big industry to evaluate biodiversity responses to industry impacts. The project will see the roll-out of the eDNA biodiversity measurement process in collaboration with local laboratories, communities and NGOs to better manage interventions and conservation initiatives. NatureMetrics' cost-effective, low effort eDNA solution identifies and measures biodiversity levels in water systems. It delivers disruptive innovation by providing: 1. User-friendly sampling kits allowing aquatic biodiversity data to be collected by anyone, anywhere in the world 2. Standardised and validated laboratory workflows , optimised by NatureMetrics, which can be taught to regional partner laboratories 3. Probabilistic methods for assignment of taxonomy to ensure accuracy even when reference databases are incomplete **Impacts** The simple sampling process stimulates job creation, and the project will promote training and skill sharing with local laboratories and universities in Mozambique. The data provided will identify and quantify the different species present, allowing for effective restoration and conservation policies to be implemented where required, and promote better measurement of biodiversity loss for corporate commitments. This will be particularly useful to Mozambique where natural gas projects are set to transform the economy, \[FT, 2019\] and where Environmental Impact Assessments will be a requirement of ongoing developments \[Rovuma LNG, 2019\]."

NemaCode

69,973
2017-09-01 to 2018-08-31
Feasibility Studies
Parasitic species of free living nematodes in soils cause massive crop damage to UK farmers. Nematode infestation is extremely difficult to detect, as soil screening methods require highly trained experts to identify individual species, from live nematodes extracted from soil samples. This is time consuming, inaccurate, and expensive. Farmers therefore use preventative application of pesticides to reduce the risk of complete crop failure, which contributes to pesticides overuse, and associated environmental and agrochemical resistance risks. NemaCode is a new method for screening soils, based on DNA sequencing (metabarcoding) the complete biological component of the soil. It will enable farmers to screen their land for a whole suite of high-risk soil organisms prior to planting, enabling an earlier decision point, more specific risk assessment, and lower cost treatment strategies. This will greatly reduce the volume of pesticides required to treat the land leading to significant cost savings, reduce risk of crop failure, and allow responsible pesticide stewardship.

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