---
title: "RBGKEW1308 Expanding the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in root fungal colonisation assessment"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-416c421f-9728-4b52-a57f-927a547a74c3"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-416c421f-9728-4b52-a57f-927a547a74c3"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-416c421f-9728-4b52-a57f-927a547a74c3.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-416c421f-9728-4b52-a57f-927a547a74c3.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS"
published: "2024-07-16"
---

# RBGKEW1308 Expanding the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in root fungal colonisation assessment

Buyer: ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-416c421f-9728-4b52-a57f-927a547a74c3

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## Summary

The Royal Botanic Gardens is seeking consultancy services for the project titled "RBGKEW1308 Expanding the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in root fungal colonisation assessment". This research and development project falls under the industry category of research and development services and related consultancy services. The location of the project is in London, United Kingdom. The procurement method is an open procedure with a tender period ending on 15th August 2024. The contract period is scheduled to start on 9th September 2024 and end on 31st March 2025.

This tender presents an opportunity for businesses in the research and development services sector to collaborate with the Royal Botanic Gardens. Companies with expertise in AI, visualisation tools, and data analysis would be well-suited to compete for this project. The project aims to enhance the accuracy and functionality of AMFinder, an AI tool for fungal colonisation assessment. Businesses interested in innovative projects and cutting-edge technology solutions can leverage this tender to grow their capabilities and establish valuable partnerships in the research domain.

## Notice

RBG Kew require a consultancy service, to expand the work developed during phase 1, to adapt AMFinder, an AI visualisation tool developed by Evangelisti et al (2021) to assess fungal-colonisation, for use with more complex field root samples. The work in phase 2 would focus on improving the accuracy of the outputs that AMFinder generates and expanding its functionality to detect different mycorrhizal types. This will build on the preliminary work carried out in phase 1, exploring the potential of a semi-supervised learning approach, and improving the user experience of the tool, by editing the dashboard interfaces and developing pipelines. The AMFinder tool should provide a method for rapid quantification of fungal colonisation in plant roots. Input to the tool will be images of ink-stained fungal structures inside roots mounted on microscopy slides, taken with a digital slide scanner (Panoramic Midi II) at RBG Kew. Adherence to data regulation and standards is essential.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/8e3b931e-2961-4d24-af1c-69b3cf00d3ca |
| Notice type | Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 16 Jul 2024 |
| Submission deadline | 15 Aug 2024 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 8 Sep 2024 - 31 Mar 2025 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £500,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Active |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS |
| Locality | RICHMOND |
| Post town | Twickenham |
| Postcode | TW9 3AE |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI7 Outer London - West and North West |
| ITL 3 | TLI75 Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames |
| Local authority | Richmond upon Thames |
| Electoral ward | Kew |
| Westminster constituency | Richmond Park |
| Delivery location | TLI London |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

## Release History

- 16 Jul 2024 at 10:20 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/8e3b931e-2961-4d24-af1c-69b3cf00d3ca

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/8e3b931e-2961-4d24-af1c-69b3cf00d3ca
  16th July 2024 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Richmond:-Research-and-development-services-and-related-consultancy-services./ZETY78UYK8
  Please follow this link to view the notice.

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-416c421f-9728-4b52-a57f-927a547a74c3. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-416c421f-9728-4b52-a57f-927a547a74c3.json.