Funder: UK Research and Innovation
Due Dates (Anticipated): October 2027 (Competition closing date)
Funding Amounts: Up to £13 million total; £1 million–£3 million eligible project costs; up to 30 months
Summary: Supports business-led collaborative industrial research that improves farming productivity, sustainability, resilience and progress towards net zero in England.
Key Information: A UK-registered business must lead, with at least one UK-registered SME claiming grant funding.
Description
Innovate UK delivers this competition in partnership with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), through the industry-led R&D Partnerships Fund within Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme. It supports collaborative industrial research to develop agricultural solutions with commercially relevant benefits for farmers, growers or foresters in England.
Projects must address significant challenges or opportunities in farmed animals, plants, novel food production systems, or bioeconomy and agroforestry. Solutions must significantly improve productivity, sustainability and farming’s environmental impact, progress towards net zero emissions, and resilience. The programme encourages collaboration with end users and the UK research community, alongside knowledge exchange that accelerates adoption across the wider sector.
