RootScanner Challenge

Grants4Tech 2021 - #RootScanner Challenge 
Make roots of plants in the field visible without damaging them and have a chance to win up to 40.000€.

Submit your proposals until May 12th, 2021

Some challenges are so obvious that one stops noticing them. Every time we look at a plant, we know that the roots lay hidden in the soil. We even know that strong roots are essential and have a big impact on the wellbeing of the plants. We just accept that the soil hides those roots from us.  

Of course, we can make the roots visible today. Countless hours are spent digging, rinsing, and ultimately destroying the plant, leaving it unavailable for further evaluation. We look to fundamentally change this process with the 2021 Grants4Tech challenge. With the technological progress made over the last decennia, it must be possible to make the roots of a plant visible without disturbing the soil.

In case you are a biologist, agronomist, … you understand that we are looking for technologies which can phenotype roots. But we also want to benefit from advancements in other industries. It can be that you work in the mining industry, on archeology projects, or on a novel type of medical equipment and have the breakthrough solution at your fingertips. Making the invisible visible, is a challenge in many areas.

What are we looking for?  If you have a technical solution (all the details can be found on Grants4Tech) which can ...

• Measure and display the mass, depth, and diameter of the root system in the field. 
• Cause no damage to the plants and minimize the disturbance of the soil. 
• Be as accurate as possible: the measured parameters will be compared with the results of established root phenotyping methods. 
• Be fit for field use. The easier it is to use the solution in the field, the better.  

So, what is in it for you? The winner of the competition gets €40.000! Interested? Go and visit the Grants4Tech website or contact us.