This summer has been characterised by unprecedented temperatures, drought and wildfires. While the world faces up to the effects of climate change and the implications for food security, Oxfordshire companies and University of Oxford researchers continue to search for solutions.
Oxford University spinout Wild Bioscience specialises in improving crop varieties, using AI and precision breeding to make crops such as wheat more drought and disease resistant. Its Wild Bio platform deciphers hundreds of millions of years of plant evolution to identify promising genetic improvements from wild species, which are used to guide precision breeding strategies for modern crop varieties. Founded in 2021 with the aim of getting lab-based research onto farms, last October it raised £45 million in a Series A funding round led by the Oxford-based Ellison Institute of Technology. The Milton Park-based firm now employs 30 people and has field trials in four countries. Last week it announced the purchase of Suffolk-based wheat-breeding business F1 Seed. The result will be that UK farmers will be able to purchase new wheat varieties as early as next year.
Another global farming challenge is being tackled by Moa Technology, a firm based at Oxford Science Park. Using advanced plant biology, automation, and AI, it is developing a new generation of herbicides to combat weeds and offer sustainable and safer solutions to protect harvests, support farmers, and provide global food security. This month (July 2026) it announced a £22.2 million Series C fundraising round, co-led by Oxford Science Enterprises and European VC Supernova Invest. This investment will help it accelerate towards commercialisation.
Also in the business of improving crops is Oxford Agricultural Trials, one of the UK’s oldest and most experienced contract field trials companies. Founded in 1984, it evaluates agrochemicals, crop varieties, fertilisers, biostimulants and organic products for the crop protection industry. Headquartered near Bicester, it carries out studies in all regions of the UK and on international projects.
Meanwhile, collaborative research work is going on apace at the University of Oxford. The Oxford Climate Research Network is an interdisciplinary research community addressing the complex challenges of climate change. It brings together expertise from Oxford’s Mathematical, Physical, and Life Sciences, Social Sciences, Medical Sciences, and Humanities divisions. The Oxford Martin School’s Climate Policy Programme looks at the challenges for governments and societies in dealing with climate change, while Oxford Net Zero is a platform that brings together principles and policies, practical tools, and progress tracking to help businesses and policymakers achieve the goal of net zero.
Pictured above: Wild Bioscience crop facility coordinator Isaac Adegboye and technician Max Finlay carrying out plant care checks at Milton Park.