What IBERS Distance Learning does

IBERS Distance Learning is a non-profit online education program established in 2012 and operated within the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University in Wales, UK. The program delivers modular postgraduate distance learning for agrifood professionals, including farmers, agricultural advisers, veterinarians, food industry professionals, and international development practitioners. All qualifications are validated by Aberystwyth University and delivered through the Blackboard virtual learning environment, with content sourced from IBERS's research base in grassland science, ruminant nutrition, biorefining, and sustainable agriculture.

The offering is structured as a stackable credit framework: students can take individual 20-credit online taught modules, six-hour short courses, or build incrementally toward Postgraduate Certificates (60 credits), Postgraduate Diplomas (120 credits), MSc/MRes degrees (180 credits), and Professional Doctorates. Pricing is pay-as-you-go at £1,000 per module (rising to £1,055 from September 2026), with discounts for upfront full-course payment, separate fees for dissertations, and short courses priced at £250. Funding mechanisms include 80% bursaries through Farming Connect for Welsh learners, 50% RWIF contributions for Welsh SMEs, Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships for international students, and bursaries from multiple charitable trusts.

The program generates revenue through tuition fees and partner-funded subsidies, with distribution channels tied to professional accreditation partnerships with Dairy Pro, BASIS, and IEMA. Geographic reach spans Wales and the broader UK for fee-paying domestic students, and global markets—particularly Commonwealth countries in Africa and South Asia—through scholarship-funded international cohorts. The teaching team includes academic staff from both Aberystwyth and Swansea Universities, with content also developed in partnership with Menter a Busnes for leadership and business modules.

Name

IBERS Distance Learning

Legal name

IBERS Distance Learning

Website

https://ibersdl.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IBERS Distance Learning is a non-profit distance learning program within Aberystwyth University's IBERS, offering modular online postgraduate qualifications (PGCert through Professional Doctorate) and short courses for agrifood professionals, validated by Aberystwyth University.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Aberystwyth, Ceredigion

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Module-based Tuition Fees: Revenue generated from per-module fees for 20-credit online taught modules. Students pay per module taken, with dissertation fees charged separately. Pay-as-you-go approach allows flexible payment without requiring full course upfront payment.
2. Full Course Fees: Upfront payment options for complete qualifications including PGCert, PGDip, MSc, MRes, and Professional Doctorates. Discounted rates available compared to pay-as-you-go for full qualification completion.
3. Short Course Fees: Short introductory courses priced at £250 each, with 80% bursaries available through Farming Connect for eligible Welsh learners.
4. Professional Doctorate Annual Fees: Annual fees for professional doctorate research components, with minimum 3 years part-time or 2 years full-time commitment required.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IBERS Distance Learning is an online postgraduate education program for agrifood professionals, offering pay-as-you-go modular distance learning that allows students to take individual 20-credit modules or stack credits toward Postgraduate Certificates, Diplomas, MSc, MRes, Doctor of Agriculture, and Professional Doctorate qualifications. All programs are delivered online through Aberystwyth University's Blackboard VLE, with content sourced from IBERS research in sustainable agriculture, agrifood innovation, and circular economy approaches.

Product overview

IBERS Distance Learning is an educational institution established in 2012 offering a modular distance learning platform for agrifood professionals. The offering consists of a platform-plus-modules architecture: students can take individual 20-credit online modules (including Biomass to Products, Food Innovation, Horticultural Science, Life Cycle Assessment, Livestock Health and Welfare, Livestock Nutrition, Low Carbon Livestock, Plant Breeding, Programming for Agri-technology, Research Methods, Silage Science, Soil Science, Sustainable Forage Systems, and Sustainable Supply Systems), short courses/microcredentials (6-hour courses on LCA, sustainable agrifood systems, soil science), and workshop modules (coaching, facilitation, leadership). These stack into qualifications: Postgraduate Certificates (60 credits), Diplomas (120 credits), MSc/MRes (180 credits), and professional doctorates (DAg, Professional Doctorate BioInnovation). Programmes are validated by Aberystwyth University, with some modules delivered in partnership with Swansea University's Faculty of Science and Engineering. The pay-as-you-go approach allows students to build qualifications incrementally or take single modules for CPD.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MSc Sustainable Agriculture Master of Science degree programme focusing on sustainable agriculture practices, part of the stackable qualification system where students can exit with PGCert (60 credits) or PGDip (120 credits) before completing the full MSc (180 credits). Validated by Aberystwyth University.
• MSc Agrifood Innovation Master of Science degree programme in agrifood innovation, containing all available modules with pay-as-you-go approach allowing students to build up to the qualification incrementally. Validated by Aberystwyth University.
• MRes Agriculture Master of Research degree with emphasis on research rather than taught elements, worth 180 credits. Students typically spend a year completing taught elements and two years on a research project.
• MRes Agrifood Innovation Master of Research in Agrifood Innovation (formerly BioInnovation programme), emphasises research with 180 credits total. Validated by Aberystwyth University.
• Doctor of Agriculture (DAg) Professional doctorate in agriculture. Part I consists of MRes; Part II minimum three years part-time or two years full-time comprising a thesis up to 60,000 words. Validated by Aberystwyth University.
• Professional Doctorate BioInnovation Professional doctorate equivalent to PhD but more appropriate for professional rather than academic careers. Starts with MRes Agrifood Innovation as Part I. Validated by Aberystwyth University.
• Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) 60-credit certificate available in multiple specialisations including Livestock Science and Nuffield Farming Scholarship. Validated by Aberystwyth University.
• Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) 120-credit diploma earned by completing six modules from a selected MSc programme. Validated by Aberystwyth University.
• Taught Online Modules 20-credit distance learning modules covering Biomass to Products, Food Innovation, Horticultural Science, Life Cycle Assessment, Livestock Health and Welfare, Livestock Nutrition, Low Carbon Livestock, Plant Breeding, Programming for Agri-technology, Research Methods, Silage Science, Soil Science, Sustainable Forage Systems, and Sustainable Supply Systems. Cost: £1,000 per module (Sept 2025-26), £1,055 (Sept 2026-27).
• Dissertation (MSc/MRes) Research dissertation components: 60-credit MSc dissertation at £3,000 (£3,170 from Sept 2026); 120-credit MRes/Part 1 DAg dissertation at £6,000 (£6,335 from Sept 2026). Undertaken as work-based research project with matched academic supervisor.
• On-Farm Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Short Course 6-hour farmer-friendly course introducing Life Cycle Assessment and its importance for modern farm businesses. Covers market access, carbon audits, supply chain reporting and policy compliance. Fee: £250 with 80% funding available through Farming Connect. 5 BASIS points.
• Sustainable Agrifood Systems Short Course 6-hour course providing farmer-friendly introduction to sustainability concepts linked to Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS). Covers farm resilience and profitability. Fee: £250 with 80% funding available. 6 BASIS points.
• Introduction to Soil Science: Functions, Sampling and Assessing Short Course Short introductory course on soil science functions, sampling and assessment methods.
• Coaching and Mentoring for Leaders Workshop Workshop module teaching coaching principles and developing coaching and mentoring abilities. Delivered in partnership with Menter a Busnes and Aberystwyth Business School.
• Facilitation for Organisation Leadership Workshop Workshop module developing facilitation skills through practical and interactive course. Introduces facilitative leadership with Action Learning Sets. Delivered with Menter a Busnes and Aberystwyth Business School.
• Leading Change Workshop Workshop module developing leadership skills with critical appreciation of leadership, management and team dynamics in relation to initiating and supporting change. Delivered with Menter a Busnes and Aberystwyth Business School.

Quantifiable outcome

• Qualifications validated by Aberystwyth University, a research institution founded in 1872
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Aberystwyth UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBERS Distance Learning is part of the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University. All qualifications are validated by Aberystwyth University. Students register through the university's postgraduate admissions system and access learning materials via Blackboard VLE.
• Swansea University (Faculty of Science and Engineering)coreTechnology or IntegrationProvides modules including Microalgal Technologies, Fermentation Technology for Food & Agricultural Applications, and Membrane Technology and Applications. The Energy Safety Research Institute (ESRI) has received significant funding for industrial carbon emission reduction research.
• Menter a Busnes (on behalf of Aberystwyth Business School)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMenter a Busnes supports new and growing businesses across Wales through tailored business support programmes. They run a leadership programme validated at master's level by the university, providing leadership and management training modules.
• Dairy ProcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDairy Pro is the professional registration scheme for people working in the UK dairy industry. IBERS DL is a Training Partner, with many modules eligible for Dairy Pro CPD points that are added to members' training records.
• Farming ConnectcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFarming Connect is the Welsh government-funded programme supporting farmers and foresters. Provides 80% bursaries for eligible Welsh learners on selected modules and short courses. Also provides Sustainable Farming Scheme linked courses.
• Research Wales Innovation Funding (RWIF)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerRWIF Innovation Voucher Scheme supports Wales-based SMEs, farms, supply chain businesses and community organisations. Provides 50% funding contribution towards research training or academic input for work-based projects (value £527.50-£1,585 per project).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Royal Agricultural University: Historic UK agricultural university (founded 1845) offering postgraduate programmes and professional development in agriculture, land management, and rural business. Direct competitor for postgraduate agrifood students and the professional CPD market IBERS serves.
• Writtle University College: UK land-based college offering postgraduate programmes in agriculture, horticulture, and animal science. Comparable in target audience and small-institution scale, with similar focus on professional development for agrifood practitioners.
• Cranfield University: UK postgraduate-only university with strong agrifood, environmental, and sustainability programmes including Agrifood Resilience through its Cranfield Soil and Agrifood Institute. Comparable in postgraduate-only model and applied agrifood research focus, though at substantially larger scale.
• Harper Adams University: UK's leading specialist agricultural university offering postgraduate degrees and CPD in agriculture, agritech, and sustainable farming via distance learning. Directly comparable to IBERS in target audience, academic focus, and online postgraduate agrifood offerings.

Emerging players

• FutureLearn: UK-based online learning platform owned by Global University Systems, partnering with universities to deliver MOOCs, short courses, and microcredentials. Adjacent competitor in the online agrifood short course and CPD market, though with broader scope and lower academic depth per offering.

Others

• Menter a Busnes: Welsh business support organisation delivering leadership and management training workshops as part of IBERS DL's stackable qualifications. Strategic delivery partner rather than competitor; provides the leadership/workshop modules within IBERS' programmes.
• Commonwealth Scholarship Commission: UK government-funded body administering Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships that support international students on IBERS' programmes. Strategic funder and channel partner rather than competitor; provides the international student pipeline underpinning IBERS' global reach.

Regional players

• SRUC (Scotland's Rural College): Scotland's land-based education and research institution offering postgraduate and CPD programmes across agriculture, rural business, and environmental science. Highly comparable in mission, scale, and agrifood focus, though geographically focused on Scotland rather than Wales.

Broad incumbents

• University of Reading (School of Agriculture, Policy and Development): Major UK research university with established agriculture school offering postgraduate agrifood programmes. Larger institution with broader portfolio, but competes for the same agrifood postgraduate and CPD market segment and has comparable distance learning offerings.
• The Open University: UK's largest distance learning university offering postgraduate qualifications across disciplines including agriculture and environmental science. Not directly competitive in specialised agrifood but competes for working professionals seeking flexible, accredited online postgraduate education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bioinnovation-wales-bioarloesedd-cymru

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IBERS Distance Learning