Innovation Hub
The engine room of the HEADTURNED Foundation – where ideas become tools, systems, and places that change how we grow food, care for animals, and live with the land.
Where everything connects
The Innovation Hub sits at the epicentre of the HEADTURNED blueprint. It supports the Sanctuary, Vertical Farming, media, packaging, water systems, energy, and education. If you trace the systems behind a project, you eventually arrive here.
This is where engineers, scientists, technologists, teachers, content creators, and subject-matter experts work side by side – designing solutions we can test on the land and then share with partners globally.
Continuously evolving
Weather shifts. Markets change. Technologies move fast. The Innovation Hub is built to evolve, not to freeze around today’s answers. It exists to keep asking better questions, so that what we build stays useful for the next chapter – not just this one.
The role of the Innovation Hub
A place where good ideas don't stay on the whiteboard.
Applied research, not theory for theory’s sake.
Ideas move from whiteboard to field, lab, sanctuary, or farm. The Hub exists to make solutions real on HEADTURNED land first, then share them outwards.
Designed to serve the whole ecosystem.
Every project is tested against the same lens: does this support people, animals, and nature together – not one at the cost of the others?
Built for sharing, not hoarding.
Blueprints, methods, and learnings are designed to be open and replicable, so other communities can adapt what works for their own context.
What happens inside
The Hub is busy by design. On any given day, you might find prototyping, lab work, coding, teaching, filming, or field testing taking place all at once.
- Cutting-edge R&D in food systems, energy, water, and biodiversity.
- Education, apprenticeships, and career pathways in future-focused fields.
- Collaborative projects with universities, companies, and independent creators.
- Technology integration for Sanctuary, Vertical Farming, and beyond.
- Public engagement through media, open days, and digital storytelling.
- Job creation and local economic growth through genuinely useful innovation.
Food, land, and sanctuary
Designing the systems behind Vertical Farming and Sanctuary.
From soil-sparing vertical farms to rewilded habitats, the Hub looks at food and land as part of the same story.
The Innovation Hub supports the HEADTURNED Vertical Farming campus and Sanctuary by designing the systems that sit behind them – from how we grow pesticide-free produce, to how we map habitats, build enclosures, and create spaces that work for animals and people.
It's where questions like “How do we run this on renewable energy?”, “How does this impact insects and soil life?”, and “How can this design be replicated elsewhere?” are treated as starting points, not afterthoughts.
You can explore how the food side connects in more detail on the Vertical Farming page, and how animal care is supported on the Sanctuary page.
Energy
Renewable energy as a default, not a bonus.
The Hub designs energy systems that can power vertical farms, sanctuaries, and community infrastructure – with the lightest footprint we can manage.
Solar. Wind. Storage. Emerging technologies. The Innovation Hub tests combinations of renewable energy systems that can reliably power large, complex sites – from grow racks to veterinary clinics – while reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
Energy is treated as part of the design, not just a utility bill. That includes smart usage, demand response, and ways of sharing surplus with surrounding communities where possible.
Water and climate control
HVAC, hydroponics, and desalination for a changing climate.
Controlled environments and clean water systems that keep food growing and animals safe, even as conditions shift.
The Hub explores HVAC systems, hydroponic setups, and water desalination technologies that can support vertical farming and Sanctuary operations. From temperature and humidity control to nutrient delivery and water recovery, every parameter matters.
The goal is not just comfort, but resilience: spaces that can keep functioning in heatwaves, storms, and unexpected weather, while making the most efficient use of water possible.
Biodiversity and coexistence
Designing for humans, animals, and insects to thrive together.
From habitat layouts to planting schemes, the Hub helps make sure every project supports life, not just infrastructure.
The Innovation Hub works alongside Sanctuary and land design teams to create environments where agriculture, animal care, and wild spaces can coexist. That means thinking about pollinators, soil organisms, water flow, and wildlife corridors from day one.
Biodiversity isn't a “nice to have” – it's the key to resilience. Healthier soils, more insects, and thriving habitats make everything else more stable, from crop yields to animal welfare.
Agrotech and sensing
Electronics, robotics, and drones built for real fields, not just labs.
Smarter monitoring, gentler interventions, and better decisions – without losing sight of the animals and people on the ground.
The Hub's agrotech work spans sensors, automation, and drones: mapping land, tracking crop health, monitoring perimeters, and supporting Sanctuary and farm teams with better information.
It's not technology for technology’s sake. Every tool is measured against whether it reduces stress on animals, saves time for humans, or makes it easier to protect land and resources.
Learning and careers
A place to learn, teach, and build a life's work.
Engineers, land managers, coders, farmers, vets, content creators – the Hub is designed as a meeting point, not a silo.
The Innovation Hub will host apprenticeships, training programmes, and collaborative projects that give people a way into meaningful work – whether that's engineering climate-controlled grow systems, working with animals, designing packaging, or building software.
Some places will be scholarship-funded, some sponsored, some self-funded. The aim is to open doors to people who might never have seen themselves in “innovation” – and then show how their skills can directly support land, animals, and communities.
The stories, breakthroughs, and lessons from the Hub will also feed into HEADTURNED Insights and PPV, so people can follow along, learn, and be part of the change from wherever they are.
Work with the Innovation Hub
Help us build systems that other communities can copy, improve, and make their own.
We're looking to collaborate with universities, companies, independent researchers, makers, and creators who want their work to touch real land, real animals, and real communities – not just slide decks.