10033955Novel biofertilisers for increased food securityClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKNitrogen is the **most frequently limiting nutrient for plant growth**, so farmers regularly apply it in the form of chemical fertilisers to sustain crop productivity. But fertiliser prices are now **3-5x more expensive than a year ago**, because of a series of events never seen before (Russian invasion, supply chain disruption, COVID-19, ...), **forcing farmers to cut back down application**. This will inevitably lower their outputs, and impact consumer food prices. Plus, the production of nitrogen fertilisers, from natural gas, is unsustainable as it globally consumes 2% of fossil fuels and generates 2% of greenhouse gas emissions, thereby **substantially contributing to climate warming**. Even worse, **up to 70% of the applied product does not reach the plants**, making this process not only highly ineffective but also costly: the resulting environmental (eutrophication, soil degradation) and health damages cost farmers £0.7bn per year and tax-payers £3.5 billion per year in the UK alone. Meanwhile, organic farmers struggle to provide sufficient nitrogen to their crops and consequently **suffer a substantial yield gap** (40% on average) that: 1. Dis-incentivises further organic farm conversion despite a growing domestic demand 2. Indirectly causes greenhouse gas emissions due to land use change, resulting in overall greater emissions than conventional farming (Smith et al, 2019). All in all, farmers are now, more than ever, desperate to find new alternatives. Similarly, the houseplant feed market is also demanding more natural and sustainable fertilisers. NouriSol develops fertilisers that harness the power of microorganisms already present in UK farmers' soils: we isolate the most efficient algae from their fields to produce **slow-release fertilisers that minimise nutrient loss into the environment**. Our algae are able to **capture both nitrogen and carbon from the atmosphere** and share them with crops along with other key nutrients (e.g. Phosphorus, Potassium, Sulfur, ...) that further stimulate plant growth, and improve soil health. We spoke to **30+ UK famers**, and our results obtained in greenhouses have convinced them to adopt our products at the right price. To reach commercialisation and unlock private funding, this project will: * Validate our existing product formulations in field trials with farmers, in comparison or combination with current alternatives, * Demonstrate manufacturing scalability.