Prizes 2022 edition

On Thursday 17 November 2022, the Xavier Beulin Grand Prize and the AgreenTech Valley Prize were awarded at LAB'O Village By CA Orléans!

Opening of the evening by Jean-Michel GALLIER & conference by Sarah SINGLA

The evening began with a speech by our President, Jean-Michel GALLIER, followed by a conference by Sarah SINGLA, a farmer in Aveyron, agricultural engineer and founder of Hum's - Agronomy Training, entitled "Digital technology for agronomy", to shed light on conservation agriculture.

A look back at the winning projects of the 2021 edition

Xavier Beulin Grand Prize: D.A.R.T project by Rémi GAGET

The promoter: Rémi GAGET has been a farmer since 2011. Previously, he worked for 10 years in a hydraulic design office. He is passionate about new technologies and agricultural robotics.

The project: D.A.R.T., the mini agricultural robot for releasing biocontrol and localised weed control solutions.

Support for the project by AgreenTech Valley :

Assistance in seeking financing from Bpifrance.
Assistance in compiling and writing the file.
Linking with the IndustryLAB for prototyping.
Linking with the INPI to protect the prototype and the brand.

In the months following the November 2021 award ceremony, the first field tests of the prototype were carried out and a system management electronics part was added.

What's next? Today, Rémi GAGET wants to finalise the electronics for the trichogramme dispenser and the programme for the ultra-localised weeding tool. He is also prioritising the many new ideas for adaptable tools. Afterwards, he aims to launch a pre-series of D.A.R.T.!

AgreenTech Valley Prize: Insectae project by Jérôme JACQUES

The promoter: Jérôme JACQUES is a nuclear physics engineer with twenty years of experience in complex systems in the space and nuclear sectors.

The project: Insectae, an automated insect pest detection system. It would help farmers in their daily life and their agroecological approach, particularly in reducing the use of phytosanitary products.

Feedback from the winner on AgreenTech Valley's support for the project:

People who are open-minded, competent and willing to listen.
Contact with industrial players, members of the Leading Farmers Club, institutes, etc.
An ambassador for the project.

What's next? Jérôme JACQUES is currently working on the model of his project: the technical side is now complete, and he is now focusing on the marketing aspect and the economic model. By the end of 2023, he plans to take part in the Bpifrance i-Lab innovation competition, develop an insect attraction function, set up POCs (proof of concept), market and industrialise Insectae!

Award of the Xavier Beulin 2022 Grand Prize

The Xavier Beulin Grand Prize rewards a farmer who innovates on his farm, thanks to digital technology. This year it was sponsored by the Centre Val de Loire region, Orléans Métropole, Sofiprotéol, Crédit Agricole Centre Loire, EDF, the Eléphant Vert group, the Centre Val de Loire Chamber of Agriculture, Crédit Mutuel and the Atos group.

In view of the particular events this year in Ukraine, the jury members proposed to exceptionally divide the Grand Prize endowment in two, a proposal validated by the 2022 sponsors. The endowment will therefore be used to support innovative projects by young Ukrainian farmers, and to reward the 2022 winner.

Winner of the Xavier Beulin 2022 Grand Prize

Rémi DUMERY, technophile farmer, based in Boulay les Barres (45), for the DUMIRRIG project, an irrigator's assistant application for the monitoring and management of precision irrigation and regulations.

With the stakes linked to water and the lack of economic data on irrigators' practices, the aim of the application is to bring together all the useful information for the farmer in a single platform. The latter allows the ordering, monitoring and control of equipment, while collecting technical and economic monitoring data. Data entry is thus minimised for the farmer and also integrates the statements for regulatory declarations.

DUMIRRIG will rapidly evolve towards precision irrigation in field crops with the help of simple connection of boreholes and irrigation equipment. The application will be interfaced with existing tools and will allow adaptability and progressiveness of investments in the irrigation operation.

Award of the AgreenTech Valley 2022 Prize

The AgreenTech Valley Prize is awarded to a start-up, VSE or SME that develops a solution for agricultural players. It is sponsored each year by Orléans Métropole.

This year the members of the Jury have chosen a winning project and a favourite project.

Winners of the AgreenTech Valley 2022 Prize

Jimmy PAQUEREAU & Anthony PORTALES, from the company Emiagic based in Saint Jean de la Ruelle (45), for the ADMIRAL / WALL-I project, a multi-purpose toolbox for optimising intelligent software processing chains, based on an example of application to high-throughput phenotyping.

High-throughput root phenotyping allows the study of the root systems of different plant varieties, using images that provide information on their development. It helps to determine the suitability or otherwise of plants for the environments encountered.

In addition to the appropriate camera equipment, this requires complex software to analyse and exploit these large volumes of data. Previously, the project leaders developed solutions for root phenotyping through the ADMIRAL project. They are now developing the WALL-I toolbox, which can be applied to other sectors and make artificial intelligence more accessible to end customers.

Jury's favourite for the AgreenTech Valley 2022 Prize

Franck GAUTHIER, based in Mettray (37) and leader of the SYLVIACARE project, an early fire detection system in the natural environment.

With climate change, the risk of fire is increasing in many areas. Prevention, insurance and fire-fighting measures exist, but they cannot prevent the losses incurred.

SYLVIACARE offers an innovative approach to fire detection, adapted to isolated sites. Early detection allows emergency services to save precious minutes of intervention time. Geolocation is immediate thanks to autonomous and communicating sensors, connected to a supervision platform. The time saved reduces the damage caused and the risks taken by the emergency services, including the fire brigade. This project is being developed with several SDIS in the Centre region.

Closing of the evening

The 2022 edition ended with a cocktail party allowing the winners to discuss with potential future partners 😉

Thank you to all the sponsors and participants of this edition, and a big congratulations to our winners! 👏