Barbara Correia

Dr Barbara Correia is the UK Food Valley Innovation Coordinator at Lincolnshire County Council, where she leads initiatives to accelerate innovation and stakeholder engagement across the agri-food sector. With over 15 years of experience in agricultural and agri-tech R&D, Barbara has a strong track record in delivering strategic projects, securing multimillion-pound funding, and fostering collaboration between industry, academia, and policymakers. Her career spans advanced plant science research, knowledge exchange between academia and industry, and operational leadership in green fertiliser development. Barbara held leadership roles at B-hive Innovations Ltd as UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and Principal Research Scientist, where she secured and managed over £3.5M in R&D funding and spearheaded projects in pioneering technologies for disease detection, resource efficiency, and precision breeding applied at real world challenges. Barbara holds a PhD in Biology and Applied Biosciences from the University of Aveiro and has authored numerous scientific studies. She is passionate about innovation strategy and translating cutting-edge science into practical solutions that drive efficiency and resilience in agriculture.