Queensland primary industries minister Tony Perrett, right, and Scenic Rim local member Jon Krause, left, with Nbryo’s chief executive officer Paul Niven, head of platform Sophia Edwards and head of embryo operations Natasha Baier during this morning’s funding announcement .

THE Queensland Government has committed to directing a $2 million investment into a Brisbane-based cattle breeding technology startup through its Sowing the Seeds of Farming Innovation Fund.

The investment in embryo transfer technology company Nbryo is the first to be announced under the state government’s $30 million primary industries innovation fund.

Launched in 2024, Nbryo has an ambitious plan to develop and commercialise a platform of technologies that enable accessible, accelerated and affordable genetic improvement through in vitro production of embryos for cattle breeders globally.

Using advanced and world-leading bio-digital & robotic technologies, the production of elite high-quality embryos will be possible at scale, allowing significant improvements in selection intensity and accuracy.

Effectively, the suite of technologies is designed to allow seven years’ worth of breeding to be achieved within a seven-day in-vitro embryo production cycle.

Click this link to read Beef Central’s project launch story, published as Nbryo‘s ambitious plans were revealed in the lead-up to Beef 2024.

The project is based on the challenge that existing livestock breeding systems used across beef industry are slow and difficult to scale. It generally takes seven years to achieve a ten percent improvement in a trait or a range of traits, and at best, an improvement of 1.5pc can be achieved in a single year.

Given the rapid development and uptake of various agricultural technologies through to the emergence of artificial intelligence and genomics, a break-through in cattle breeding is long overdue – and that is Nbryo’s mission.

Nbryo chief executive officer Paul Niven said the investment would support the company’s next phase of growth.

Primary Industries Minister Tonty Perrett looks over lab work being undertaken in the Nbryo facility in Brisbane

“Queensland has an incredible opportunity to lead the world in agricultural technology innovation. We’re proud to showcase the work being undertaken at Nbryo and the role advanced reproductive technologies can play in helping make better herds faster,” Mr Niven said.

“Translating scientific innovation into practical outcomes for cattle farmers is at the core of our mission. Every improvement in reproductive efficiency has the potential to deliver significant benefits for producers, the supply chain and the broader agricultural sector.”

The Queensland Government’s new $30m Sowing the Seeds of Farming Innovation Fund makes equity investments across multiple stages of business growth and is designed to help innovations move beyond pilot projects into commercially scalable enterprises that deliver benefits Queensland’s agricultural value chain.

The Fund has been established to leverage Queensland Investment Corporation’s commercial investment expertise to back innovative businesses that deliver real benefits in on-farm productivity, profitability and sustainability.

The investment in Nbryo, managed by QIC, will enable Nbyro to expand its technology to improve access to superior livestock genetics, reducing production costs and improving productivity for beef and dairy producers.

Queensland primary industries minister Tony Perrett.

Queensland Primary Industries minister Tony Perrett said the investment showed the Sowing the Seeds of Farming Innovation Fund was delivering exactly what it was designed to achieve.

The State Government had set an ambitious target to increase the value of the state’s primary production to $30 billion by 2030.

“The Sowing the Seeds of Farming Innovation Fund will help Queensland producers reach this bold goal by getting game-changing technology from concept to on-farm application sooner,” Mr Perrett said.

“Queensland is home to almost half Australia’s beef herd, and this investment will help accelerate technologies that improve access to superior genetics, reduce costs and support a more productive and profitable beef and dairy sector,” he said.

“As a beef producer myself, I know how important it is to maximise productivity and make every dollar count. Nbryo is developing technology that has the potential to make advanced breeding tools more accessible and affordable for producers, helping them improve herd performance and profitability.”

“The Sowing the Seeds of Farming Innovation Fund is about backing Queensland innovators with great ideas and helping them turn those ideas into practical solutions that deliver real benefits for producers.”

State Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training Ros Bates said Queensland was creating an environment where innovative businesses could grow and thrive.

“We are backing our primary producers to develop the technology they need to stay at the forefront and continue to grow our agricultural sector,” Minister Bates said.

“The Government is creating the conditions for innovation, investment and job creation and supporting the long-term success of Queensland’s primary industries.”

• Queensland businesses interested in exploring how the fund can support their growth can provide information via the QIC website – click here to access.