The directors present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024.

To promote for the benefit of the public 1) the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment and 2) the just and sustainable provision of healthy food everywhere, through the promotion of healthy soil to improve yields whilst reducing costs and environmental damage, in particular but not exclusively by:

a) advancing the education of the public in the understanding of soil across the planet, and its interactions with climate change and biodiversity;

b) creating a multi-disciplinary approach to analysing and understanding soil properties and Earth’s immediate subsurface by adapting and developing scientific technologies and contributing to soil, environmental and agricultural science;

c) advancing global collaboration across research, technology transfer, government, industry and not for profit organisations; and

d) disseminating the useful results of new approaches, developments and collaborations in a manner that is free and open for public use.

Structure and governance

The Earth Rover Program (ERP) was incorporated on 12 June 2023 as a Company Limited by Guarantee. ERP is not established or conducted for private gain: any surplus or assets are used principally for the public benefit and towards the promotion of its principal activities.

Review of business

2024 was ERP’s first full year of activity, during which it recruited a core team of 12 internationally leading research scientists and submitted patent application P038632GB to protect the non-profit nature of ERP’s work.

ERP’s objective for 2024 was ground-truthed seismic images of topsoil across different soil fields, through a series of cycles of software development, data gathering and analysis. Software engineers started development of ‘erptools’ which facilitate wave type identification through visual presentation of data. Four deployments took place on sites in the UK and Kenya with known soil properties, to optimise sensor configuration and experiment protocols. These produced over 80,000 sets of data from which the team was able to distinguish standard wave types (P- and S-waves), and travel time images were generated by the erptools software.

2024’s research validated ERP’s hypothesis that the seismic model can be applied at significantly smaller scale to soil; and demonstrated specifically that wave speeds in different types of soil (tilled, conservation) are measurably and consistently different. The results of this first year of research have been presented in a series of papers submitted for peer review during the first quarter of 2025.

Plans for Future Periods

Phase One of the Earth Rover Program runs through to 2026. Objectives for 2025 include:

• Recruitment for machine learning and modelling roles.

• Continued development of the erptools set to facilitate data analysis.

• Initial research into low-cost sensor development.

• Further collaborations with international organisations to expand data gathering.

• Public launch of the work of the Earth Rover Program, to support engagement with the broader scientific community.

The directors who held office during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were as follows:

In accordance with the company's articles, a resolution proposing that Frost Wiltshire LLP be reappointed as auditor of the company will be put at a General Meeting.

The directors are responsible for preparing the annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the directors have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law, the directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the surplus or deficit of the company for that period.

In preparing these financial statements, the directors are required to:

• select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

• make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and

• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business.

The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

So far as each person who was a director at the date of approving this report is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the company’s auditor is unaware. Additionally, the directors individually have taken all the necessary steps that they ought to have taken as directors in order to make themselves aware of all relevant audit information and to establish that the company’s auditor is aware of that information.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies entitled to the small companies exemption.

We have audited the financial statements of Earth Rover Program for the year ended 31 December 2024 which comprise the Income and Expenditure Account, Balance Sheet and the related notes, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice), including FRS 102 - Section 1A for Small Entities "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland".

In our opinion the financial statements:

• give a true and fair view of the state of the company's affairs as at 31 December 2024 and of its result for the year then ended;

• have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice applicable to smaller entities; and

• have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC's Ethical Standard , and the provisions available for small entities, in the circumstances set out in note 9 to the financial statements, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the directors' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit:

• the information given in the directors' report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and

• the directors' report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors' report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

• adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us;

• the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records or returns;

• certain disclosures of directors' remuneration specified by law are not made;

• we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit, or

• the directors were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies' exemptions in preparing the directors' report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.

As explained more fully in the Directors' Responsibilities Statement set out on page 2, the directors are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the directors are responsible for assessing the company's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the directors either intend to liquidate the company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

• Obtaining an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that are applicable to the Company. These include, but are not limited to, compliance with the Companies Act, United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice and the tax legislation.

• Making enquiries of management of the company policies and procedures relating to:

  • Identifying, evaluating and complying with laws and regulations and whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance; and

  • Detecting and responding to the risks of fraud and whether they have knowledge of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud.

• Reviewing minutes of the board of directors in order to identify any instances of fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations.

• Assessing the susceptibility of the financial statements to material misstatement, including how fraud might occur in the financial statements and any potential indicators of fraud. We identified potential for fraud in the following areas and performed the following procedures:

  • Communicating relevant identified laws and regulations and potential fraud risks to engagement team members and remaining alert to any indications of fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations throughout the audit.

  • Management override of controls: we evaluated managements’ incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements (including the risk of override of controls) and determined that the principal risks were related to posting inappropriate journal entries to manipulate financial results and management bias in accounting estimates and judgements. Audit procedures performed included identifying and testing journal entries, in particular any journal entries between unusual balance combinations and post year end journals.

• To address the fraud risk within revenue, we have traced revenue recognised during the year to invoices, evidence of work performed and bank statements for amounts paid. No significant issues have been identified in our work.

Our audit procedures were designed to respond to risks of material misstatement in the financial statements, recognising that the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery, misrepresentations or through collusion. There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures performed and the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely we are to become aware of it.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council's website www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.

Use Of Our Report

This report is made solely to the company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company's members those matters that we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the company and the company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

The income and expenditure account has been prepared on the basis that all operations are continuing operations.

These financial statements have been prepared and delivered in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.

Earth Rover Program is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 as applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime. The disclosure requirements of section 1A of FRS 102 have been applied other than where additional disclosure is required to show a true and fair view.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the company. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.

Income is recognised when the company has entitlement to the funds and the grant will be received.

Income that has been received in advance of a project, will be recognised over the period necessary to match with the related costs, for which the they are intended to compensate, on a systematic basis.

Expenses include VAT where applicable as the company cannot reclaim it.

Research expenditure is written off against profits in the year in which it is incurred. Identifiable development expenditure is capitalised to the extent that the technical, commercial and financial feasibility can be demonstrated.

Intangible assets acquired separately from a business are recognised at cost and are subsequently measured at cost less accumulated amortisation and accumulated impairment losses.

Amortisation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:

Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.

Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:

The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is credited or charged to surplus or deficit.

At each reporting period end date, the company reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible and intangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any). Where it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, the company estimates the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs.

Recoverable amount is the higher of fair value less costs to sell and value in use. In assessing value in use, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to their present value using a pre-tax discount rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the asset for which the estimates of future cash flows have not been adjusted.

If the recoverable amount of an asset (or cash-generating unit) is estimated to be less than its carrying amount, the carrying amount of the asset (or cash-generating unit) is reduced to its recoverable amount. An impairment loss is recognised immediately in surplus or deficit, unless the relevant asset is carried at a revalued amount, in which case the impairment loss is treated as a revaluation decrease.

Recognised impairment losses are reversed if, and only if, the reasons for the impairment loss have ceased to apply. Where an impairment loss subsequently reverses, the carrying amount of the asset (or cash-generating unit) is increased to the revised estimate of its recoverable amount, but so that the increased carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount that would have been determined had no impairment loss been recognised for the asset (or cash-generating unit) in prior years. A reversal of an impairment loss is recognised immediately in surplus or deficit, unless the relevant asset is carried at a revalued amount, in which case the reversal of the impairment loss is treated as a revaluation increase.

Cash and cash equivalents are basic financial assets and include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.

The company has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.

Financial instruments are recognised in the company's balance sheet when the company becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.

Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.

Financial liabilities and equity instruments are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the company after deducting all of its liabilities.

Basic financial liabilities, including creditors, bank loans, loans from fellow group companies and preference shares that are classified as debt, are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.

Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.

Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of business from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

The costs of short-term employee benefits are recognised as a liability and an expense, unless those costs are required to be recognised as part of the cost of stock or fixed assets.

The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.

Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the company is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.

Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.

In the application of the company’s accounting policies, the directors are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.

The average monthly number of persons (including directors) employed by the company during the year was:

Deferred income of £2,496,304 (2023: £344,637) is made up of grant income that is for future projects and not yet spent.

The company is limited by guarantee, not having a share capital and consequently the liability of members is limited, subject to an undertaking by each member to contribute to the net assets or liabilities of the company on winding up such amounts as may be required not exceeding £1.