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Campus spin-out lands £1 million investment to accelerate biostimulant field testing
SugaROx is backed by technology developed by Rothamsted and the University of Oxford
20 August, 2025
The biostimulant company SugaROx has secured £1million in additional funding following its latest seed round extension.
£400,000 of the strategic investment comes from the US-based fertiliser business, The Mosaic Company, alongside continued backing from existing UK-based angel investors and sustainable growth-focused investment funds, the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund (managed by Future Planet Capital) and Regenerate Ventures, who contributed a further £600,000.
Biostimulants are one of the fastest growing crop input sectors, with market growth estimated at around 11%. The £1 million extension follows a recent £2.4 million grant awarded from the UK’s national innovation agency, Innovate UK, to upscale manufacturing of the company’s first active ingredient, Trehalose-6-Phosphate (T6P).
SugaROx’s T6P biostimulant boosts the yields and resilience of crops by inhibiting SnRK1, an enzyme that signals energy scarcity in the plant. Safety tests were completed in early 2024, confirming a promising regulatory outlook for the proprietary T6P, and led potential market partners to request samples for field trials.
The company is working to launch a T6P wheat biostimulant in the UK market in 2027 and in the EU in 2028. This year the team begun trials in soybean and maize with a view to developing markets in the US and Brazil.
Rothamsted’s Dr Matthew Paul, one of the scientists on whose research the company is founded, said, “I am tremendously pleased that SugaROx is enjoying so much success in translating the benefits of T6P sugar and starch regulation in crops built on our foundation of research and teamwork over 20 years supported by grants from UKRI-BBSRC.”
Explaining the benefits of Mosaic’s investment, Dr Cara Griffiths who splits her time between a research role at Rothamsted and as CTO of SugaROx, added: “With Mosaic we gain access to an established network of trial sites for validation of our first product in the US at scale. Mosaic will also provide us with access to TruResponse®, a digital platform to visualise field results, which will be extremely valuable for our research.”
Mark Robbins, CEO at SugaROx said: “In response to increasing demand for product samples, we decided to accelerate our manufacturing timeline, fast‑tracking the shift from in‑house lab production to a pilot facility. We have the ambition to transform the biostimulants industry with science-based solutions – something that is only achievable in collaboration with other players”.
Contacts
Dr Matthew Paul
Plant Scientist
Dr Cara Griffiths
Molecular Biologist - Biochemist
ABOUT ROTHAMSTED RESEARCH
Rothamsted Research is the longest-running agricultural research institute in the world. We work from gene to field with a proud history of ground-breaking
discoveries in areas as diverse as crop management, statistical interpretation and soil health. Our founders, in 1843, were the pioneers of modern
agriculture, and we are known for our imaginative science and our collaborative approach to developing innovative farm practice.
Through independent research, we make significant contributions to improving agri-food systems in the UK and internationally, with
economic impact estimated to exceed £3 bn in annual contribution to the UK economy. Our strength lies in our systems approach, which combines strategic research,
interdisciplinary teams and multiple partnerships.
Rothamsted is home to three unique National Bioscience Research Infrastructures which are open to researchers from all over the world:
The Long-Term Experiments,
Rothamsted Insect Survey and the
North Wyke Farm Platform.
We are strategically funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), with additional support from other national and
international funding streams, and from industry. We are also supported by the Lawes Agricultural Trust (LAT).
ABOUT BBSRC
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council is part of UK Research and Innovation, a non-departmental public body funded by a grant-in-aid
from the UK government.
BBSRC invests to push back the frontiers of biology and deliver a healthy, prosperous and sustainable future. Through our investments, we build and support a vibrant,
dynamic and inclusive community which delivers ground-breaking discoveries and develops bio-based solutions that contribute to tackling global challenges,
such as sustainable food production, climate change, and healthy ageing.
As part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), we not only play a pivotal role in fostering connections that enable the UK’s world-class research and innovation system
to flourish – we also have a responsibility to enable the creation of a research culture that is diverse, resilient, and engaged.
BBSRC proudly forges interdisciplinary collaborations where excellent bioscience has a fundamental role. We pioneer approaches that enhance the equality, diversity,
and inclusion of talent by investing in people, infrastructure, technologies, and partnerships on a global scale.
ABOUT LAT
The Lawes Agricultural Trust, established in 1889 by Sir John Bennet Lawes, supports Rothamsted Research’s national and international agricultural science through the provision of land, facilities and funding. LAT, a charitable trust, owns the estates at Harpenden and Broom's Barn, including many of the buildings used by Rothamsted Research. LAT provides an annual research grant to the Director, accommodation for nearly 200 people, and support for fellowships for young scientists from developing countries. LAT also makes capital grants to help modernise facilities at Rothamsted, or invests in new buildings.