From left: Paul Kennedy and Jerome O’Connell, Proveye. Image: Proveye

ProvVari is expected to launch in Ireland in Q1 2026 before expanding to international markets.

NovaUCD-headquartered climate-tech Proveye has received a European Space Agency (ESA) contract to finish developing and start deploying its agritech innovation ‘ProvVari’.

The start-up has received backing through the ESA’s Spark Funding initiative which supports space-tech companies with their product development. SMEs can apply for up to €40,000, with a co-funding backing required for the same amount.

ProvVari is a precision fertiliser solution designed to increase productivity and reduce costs for farmers.

Built on the start-up’s ‘ProvGrass’ platform, ProvVari aims to combine satellite imagery from ESA’s Sentinel satellites, high-resolution imagery from the drones, navigation systems, soil and meteorological data. The company is developing an AI-driven remote sensing tech for grass management with the information.

Utilising several data points will allow the start-up to generate maps that would optimise fertiliser use, safeguard water quality, and support climate and biodiversity goals, the company said.

The product significantly cuts the environmental footprint of grassland farming across Europe, while maintaining productivity and probability for farmers, Proveye added. Alongside farmers, the company will also provide access to regulators and policymakers with ProvVari to manage fertiliser use sustainably.

ProvVari is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2026 in Ireland before expanding to other international markets.

“ProvVari has already drawn strong engagement from agri-advisors, machinery manufacturers, and seed and fertiliser companies, as well as a growing community of progressive Irish farmers,” said Jerome O’Connell, the CEO Proveye.

“Together, these stakeholders reflect the urgent need for tools that help agriculture deliver food security while protecting natural ecosystems.”

The CEO said that the ESA contract is a “major step forward” in the start-up’s goals to “align agricultural productivity with environmental stewardship, biodiversity protection, food security and climate resilience”.

This latest backing marks the third time the NovaUCD-based remote-sensing company has collaborated with the ESA. Last year, the company received €900,000 from the ESA to develop ProvVari.

While in 2022, Proveye secured €225,000 in funding from the agency to develop its grassland management platform.

“The development of the ProvVari platform is an exciting new solution that will yield benefits for farmers and the environment alike, and is a timely intervention when positioned against the challenges of both increasing productivity and reducing negative environmental impact simultaneously,” said Peter Finnegan, the manager of ESA Space Solutions Centre Ireland, which administers the ESA Spark Funding mechanism.

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