The challenge: Feeding a growing population sustainably
As global food demand rises, traditional agriculture faces mounting challenges—soil degradation, water scarcity, and environmental impact. To meet these challenges, AEH Innovative Hydrogel (AEH) set out to develop a revolutionary soil-free growing medium, offering a more sustainable way to cultivate crops.
Their innovation, Gelponics, uses hydrogels to grow plants without soil, offering a water-efficient, recyclable, and sustainable alternative to conventional growing methods. But AEH needed cutting-edge expertise to refine their technology and explore new performance enhancements.
Enter the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC).
Accelerating innovation with graphene
As a Tier 2 GEIC partner, AEH accessed the Bridging the Gap (BtG) initiative, collaborating with experts to investigate graphene’s potential in hydrogel formulations. Working alongside Crop Health and Protection (CHAP) Solutions, Grobotic Systems, and Stockbridge Technology Centre, AEH leveraged the GEIC’s leading facilities and expertise to take Gelponics to the next level.
The partnership focused on several key objectives
✅ Developing Gelponics without synthetic polymers—creating a more environmentally friendly product.
✅ Proving Gelponics as a viable substitute for traditional growing mediums.
✅ Investigating graphene’s role in enhancing hydrogel performance.
✅ Assessing recyclability and potential carbon sequestration benefits.
✅ Exploring export opportunities for dry-form Gelponics in water-scarce regions.
From Prototype to Global Recognition
Through the BtG collaboration, AEH developed a small-scale Gelponics prototype, fast-tracking innovation and demonstrating its commercial potential. This partnership accelerated AEH’s growth, expanded its team, and raised global awareness of the technology.
The results speak for themselves:
💰 £4.5M grant secured from Innovate UK.
👩🔬 9 full-time jobs created, plus multiple part-time roles.
🌍 Growing global customer base, embracing sustainable farming solutions.
With commercialisation on the horizon, AEH’s graphene-enhanced hydrogel is poised to revolutionise sustainable agriculture, providing farmers worldwide with a resource-efficient and environmentally conscious alternative.
"It has taken me three years, but if I wasn’t in the GEIC, it probably would have been five years—and we would have had to raise private investment."
Dr Beenish SiddiqueFounder of AEH Innovative Hydrogel
