The Claas Foundation has honoured a new cohort of young agricultural researchers at its annual awards ceremony, held on 26 November at the company’s Harsewinkel headquarters – with two UK-based students among this year’s prize winners.

Now in its 26th year, the Foundation supports international innovation in agricultural engineering through its Helmut Claas Scholarships and bonus awards.

Flora Lucy Gray from Durham University secured second place in the main scholarship awards. Her work examined how maize and nitrogen-fixing plants can act as indicators of different farming systems, offering useful evidence on the impacts of regenerative versus conventional practices on soil health.

A bonus prize also went to Maria Pinheiro from the University of Glasgow. Her project explored the use of chemical enhancers to boost the bactericidal effectiveness of bacteriocins against plant pathogens - research with strong potential for improving the protection of staple crops.

Other top prizes this year included first place for Laura Eckhardt (University of Hohenheim) for AI-based optimisation of soil cultivation processes, and further awards recognising innovations in machinery automation, sustainable arable systems, and grain-sorting technology.

The ceremony also included special anniversary awards marking the Foundation’s 25th year, highlighting forward-thinking projects in vertical wheat farming, data-driven machinery simulation and next-generation digital training environments.