SOIL INNOVATION DEVELOPED IN BIRMINGHAM UP FOR NATIONAL AWARD

An innovation that could help farmers to understand their soil better and enhance their crops has been shortlisted for a national award.

RiverFlow has been designed and developed by Birmingham City University engineering students Adam Burgoyne, 25, and Thomas Marshall, 21.

Their all-year-round product measures soil temperature, soil moisture and worm activity under the soil using a novel pressure sensor. The data collected will help people gain a worldwide understanding of soil composition and health, whole allowing farmers to enhance their yields and move towards fully regenerative farming.

And now, the invention has been selected as a finalist in the Engineers in Business Champion of Champions competition.

Adam, from Walsall, said: “As a species we are using the planet’s resources at an exponentially increasing rate. We are inspired to protect our first need as humans, being food and water. Our aim is to improve water and soil health across the world to help the drive towards fully regenerative farming and ensure food security worldwide.”

Adam and Thomas will pitch their idea against nine other teams of student innovators at the event at the Royal Academy of Engineering on 3 November 2023. A sum of £16,000 is up for grabs, providing vital seed money to help the winners develop their innovation.

Winners will also receive mentoring from business leaders who are members of the Sainsbury Management Fellows network, plus CV packages from PurpleCV and entrepreneurial books from Cambridge University Press and Double your Price, a book by David Falzani MBE, which covers how pricing works with practical insights, tools and actionable guidance.

The event, hosted by TV presenter and engineer Rob Bell, is the culmination of a year of enterprise competitions held across UK universities, with thousands of undergraduate and graduates taking part.

Each year, Engineers in Business Fellowship champions business education for engineers and supports universities by giving them grants to award prizes to engineering students who develop ideas that can make a positive impact on society.

After taking part in the Birmingham City University enterprise competition and looking ahead to the final, Adam said: “I think it is vital that engineering students are taught business skills due to their inevitable use throughout their career. This is an opportunity to push our message of improved food security for all and also showcases the hard work from the team to a new, larger audience.”