UKRI GCRF South Asian Nitrogen Hub

What UKRI GCRF South Asian Nitrogen Hub does

The UKRI GCRF South Asian Nitrogen Hub (SANH) is a research consortium established in 2019 with approximately £15 million in funding from UK Research and Innovation's Global Challenges Research Fund, led and administered by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH). The hub brings together over 32 leading research organisations from the UK and all eight South Asian countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) to address nitrogen pollution across agriculture, biodiversity, and global nitrogen flows. It is structured around four research programmes (Policy, Agriculture, Biodiversity, and Global Flows) with multiple work packages spanning policy mapping, farmer decision-making, future scenarios, nitrogen management app development, genetic experiments, coral reef monitoring, ammonia enhancement field studies, and harmonised dataset construction.

SANH's product portfolio includes free Massive Open Online Courses on nitrogen available in six South Asian languages on edX (with Dhivehi and Dzongkha in development), the Nitrogen App for farm-level nitrogen decision support deployed through the Cool Farm Alliance's platform, field research programmes on coral reef monitoring and ammonia enhancement experiments, genetic experiments on crop nitrogen use efficiency, and a comprehensive suite of national and regional nitrogen policy reports plus harmonised spatial datasets. Outputs are disseminated through the South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP) as a regional intergovernmental channel, direct engagement with South Asian governments, academic partnerships, farmer networks, and international forums such as COP26 and UNEA.

The consortium operates as a grant-funded research initiative rather than a commercial enterprise: all research outputs, tools, and educational resources are provided free of charge to partners and stakeholders. The core revenue mechanic is the £15M UKRI GCRF grant spread over five years, supplemented by in-kind contributions from institutional partners and SACEP. The go-to-market motion is community-led, reaching beneficiaries through international co-operation, farmer meetings, government dialogue, and capacity-building programmes rather than commercial sales channels.

Name

UKRI GCRF South Asian Nitrogen Hub

Legal name

UKRI GCRF South Asian Nitrogen Hub

Website

https://sanh.inms.international

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The UKRI GCRF South Asian Nitrogen Hub is a £15M UKRI-funded research consortium led by UKCEH, uniting 32+ organisations across South Asia and the UK to address nitrogen pollution in agriculture, biodiversity, and policy through open tools, datasets, and national reports.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Research Services

NAICS

Farm Management Services (115116)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Precision Nutrient Management Services (Nutrient Modeling, N-Rate Tools, 4R Programs) (AFACACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Soil Testing & Nutrient Analysis Services (AFACAKAA), Regenerative Agriculture & Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) (EUABABAE), Sustainable Agriculture, Food Systems & Land Management (BPADALAG)

Keywords

• Nitrogen management research
• Environmental science consortium
• Agricultural sustainability research
• Environmental policy advisory
• Capacity building programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Wallingford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. UKRI Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Grant: The Hub received approximately £15 million from UKRI for five years beginning from 2019, with additional funding in cash and kind from UK and international partners including SACEP.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The South Asian Nitrogen Hub is an international research consortium that investigates nitrogen pollution across South Asia, develops evidence-based policy recommendations, and delivers capacity-building resources for farmers, researchers, and governments. Its outputs include scientific research across agriculture, biodiversity, and global flows; national and regional nitrogen policy reports; free MOOCs on edX; a Nitrogen App for farm-level decision support; and standardised datasets for nitrogen assessment.

Product overview

The UKRI GCRF South Asian Nitrogen Hub is a research consortium (not a commercial product company) that offers educational programs, research tools, and policy resources focused on nitrogen management in South Asia. Its portfolio includes free Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on nitrogen available in multiple South Asian languages via edX; the Nitrogen App for farm-level nitrogen decision support deployed through the Cool Farm Platform; coral reef monitoring and water quality measurement programs across multiple South Asian marine sites; ammonia enhancement field experiments; genetic experiments on crop nitrogen use efficiency; and comprehensive policy reports and harmonised datasets for nitrogen assessment across the region. The Hub is led by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and comprises approximately 40 organisations from South Asia and the UK, with approximately £15 million in UKRI funding since 2019.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nitrogen: A Global Challenge MOOCs Free online educational courses on nitrogen pollution, impacts, and sustainable management delivered via edX in multiple South Asian languages, accessible globally.
• Nitrogen App Free-to-use farm-level nitrogen management decision support application delivered through the Cool Farm Platform, supporting fertilizer and manure/urine practice decisions using leaf colour sensing via phone camera.
• Coral Reef Monitoring and Water Quality Measurements Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Colombo Declaration aims to halve nitrogen waste from all sources by 2030
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

29 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• SACEP (South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019The South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme is a regional intergovernmental body that works with SANH on policy engagement. They jointly organized the Dhaka workshop in June 2022 and facilitate collaboration with South Asian governments on nitrogen policy.
• INMS (International Nitrogen Management System)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA GEF-UNEP-INI project on international nitrogen assessment. SANH works with INMS on the #Nitrogen4NetZero initiative and shares global nitrogen scenarios.
• UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead organisation for SANH. An independent not-for-profit research institute with over 500 scientists providing the data and insights for the hub.
• University of EdinburghcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of multiple work packages including WP1.1 (policy mapping), WP1.2 (future scenarios), WP1.3 (farmer decision making), WP1.4 (N management app), WP2.1a, WP2.2, WP2.3, WP3.1, WP3.2, WP3.3, WP4.1, WP4.2, WP4.3, WP4.4.
• SRUC (Scotland's Rural College)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes to WP1.1 (Policy), WP1.3 (farmer decision making), WP1.4 (N app development).
• Dilmah ConservationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBranch of Dilmah Tea providing logistical support for field research in Sri Lanka. The team was based at the One Earth Centre for Climate Change Research and Adaptation run by Dilmah Conservation.
• MMRI (Maldives Marine Research Institute)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIdentified coral reef sites for monitoring in the Maldives including established resorts and inhabited islands.
• Natural History Museum LondonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in lichen research. Dr. Gothamie Weerakoon from the museum participates in field campaigns studying ammonia impacts in Sri Lanka.
• Cool Farm AlliancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes to WP1.4 developing the Nitrogen App through the Cool Farm Platform for farm-level nitrogen management decision support.
• BSMRAU (Bangladesh)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBangladesh Agricultural University partner. Hosted the Dhaka workshop in June 2022. Contributes to WP1.4 (N app), WP2.2 (village surveys).
• TERI (India)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in WP1.1 on nitrogen policy analysis.
• IARI (Indian Agricultural Research Institute)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in WP1.4 (N app development), WP2.1b (genetic experiments). Conducting wheat line experiments under different nitrogen levels.
• University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in Sri Lanka conducting farmer meetings, hosting field research on ammonia impacts, and the Final SANH Meeting in October 2023.
• University of AberdeenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in WP1.4 and WP2.1b conducting genetic research to identify genes in crops affecting nitrogen use efficiency. Hosted PhD students for proteomic studies.
• Plymouth Marine LaboratorymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes to WP1.3 on farmer decision making and social science research.
• LSHTM (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in WP1.2 on future scenarios for nitrogen management.
• NOC (National Oceanography Centre)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes to WP1.2 on nitrogen scenarios.
• Plymouth Marine LaboratorymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in WP1.3 examining cultural, social and economic drivers of nitrogen management adoption.
• Royal Botanic Gardens EdinburghmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes to WP3.1 examining nitrogen air pollution impacts on lichen diversity.
• Moredun ScientificminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes to WP1.2 on nitrogen scenarios.
• NRRI (India)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in WP1.3 on farmer decision making.
• Royal University of BhutanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in WP1.3 on nitrogen management adoption.
• University of Kathmandu (Nepal)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in WP1.3 on nitrogen management adoption.
• NCSCM (India)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in WP1.2 on nitrogen scenarios.
• IITM (India)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in WP1.2 on nitrogen scenarios.
• BRRI (Bangladesh)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in WP1.2 on nitrogen scenarios.
• Nourish ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in WP1.3 on farmer decision making. Part of civil society engagement for nitrogen forums.
• SACEPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in WP1.3 on nitrogen management.
• University of Kabul (Afghanistan)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with farmers in Afghanistan as part of RP 2 (Agriculture).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cool Farm Alliance: Hosts the Nitrogen App on the Cool Farm Platform. Provides farm-level decision support tools for nitrogen and other sustainability metrics, making it a direct operational partner and partial competitor in the farm intelligence space.
• International Nitrogen Management System (INMS): GEF-UNEP-INI project on international nitrogen assessment, partnered with SANH on the #Nitrogen4NetZero initiative. Operates as a global sister initiative with overlapping scope on nitrogen policy and scenarios.
• International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC): Non-profit focused on soil fertility and fertilizer technology in developing countries, including Bangladesh and India. Directly comparable in farmer-facing nitrogen management, urea deep placement, and smallholder advisory work.
• South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP): Regional intergovernmental body for South Asian environmental cooperation; key strategic partner of SANH facilitating policy engagement with governments. Comparable missions and overlapping stakeholder base.
• International Nitrogen Initiative (INI): Global scientific network coordinating nitrogen research and policy, with the SANH leadership playing a central role as South Asia Director. Directly comparable network structure and mission around nitrogen management.

Broad incumbents

• International Fertilizer Association (IFA): Global industry body for fertilizer producers and distributors, engaged in nitrogen stewardship and 4R Nutrient Stewardship programmes. Operates on the opposite side of the value chain but addresses the same nitrogen-management challenges.
• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): UN agency working on sustainable agriculture and nutrient management globally, including in South Asia. Comparable in policy influence and farmer engagement but operates at much larger scale and with permanent funding.
• UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH): Parent organisation and lead institute with 500+ scientists running broad environmental research programmes. UKCEH's nitrogen work is the institutional backbone of SANH but extends well beyond South Asia.
• CGIAR / International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT): Global agricultural research network with significant South Asia presence, including nitrogen-use-efficiency breeding programmes that overlap with SANH's genetic and wheat research work packages.

Regional players

• TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute): Indian think tank contributing to SANH's WP1.1 on nitrogen policy analysis. Conducts comparable South Asian environmental and agricultural sustainability research with significant India focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GCRFNitrogenHub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ukri-gcrf-south-asian-nitrogen-hub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UKRI GCRF South Asian Nitrogen Hub