Deadline: December 03, 2025
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), in partnership with Innovate UK, is offering UK registered businesses the chance to apply for a share of up to £4.8 million in funding for feasibility projects aimed at addressing major on-farm or immediate post farmgate challenges and opportunities.
The funding will support projects to investigate early stage solutions that have the potential to substantially improve the overall productivity, sustainability and resilience of farming, and move existing agricultural sectors to net zero, prioritise solutions that will have positive outputs for farmers, growers and foresters in commercially relevant situations, and accelerate research and development of new agricultural solutions by actively engaging collaboration with the wider UK research community in the innovation process.
This funding competition is designed to support feasibility studies that explore innovative solutions to enhance productivity, resilience, and sustainability in farming, while progressing towards low emission agriculture. Eligible projects must demonstrate clear benefits for farmers, growers, or foresters in England and can range in total eligible costs between £200,000 and £500,000, lasting up to 24 months with a start date by 1 July 2026 and completion by 30 June 2028.
Only UK businesses of any size, including sole traders and partnerships, can lead a project, and the lead organisation must collaborate with at least one other grant-claiming UK registered organisation. Academic institutions cannot lead or work alone, and non-profit organisations such as charities or CICs cannot act as lead applicants. Collaborating partners can include UK businesses, academic institutions, charities, not-for-profits, public sector organisations, or research and technology organisations (RTOs). Subcontractors, including international ones, may be used if justified, and non-UK partners bringing their own funding can also participate.
Funding support varies according to organisation size, providing up to 70% of eligible costs for micro or small organisations, 60% for medium, and 50% for large organisations. A minimum of 50% of any grant requested by farmers, growers, or foresters must be allocated to those based in England. Research organisations undertaking non-economic activity can claim up to 100% of eligible costs, depending on their type, and Je-S registered academic institutions can claim up to 80% of full economic costs.
Projects must address at least one of the following industry subsectors: farmed animals, plants, novel food production systems, or bioeconomy and agroforestry. Projects that do not directly benefit farmers, growers, or foresters in England, or those focused on equine, wild-caught fisheries, aquaculture, cultivated meat, acellular production systems, or crops/plants for medicinal or pharmaceutical use, are ineligible.
The Farming Innovation Programme encourages a portfolio approach, aiming to fund a variety of projects across different technologies, markets, themes, and locations to deliver meaningful benefits to the UK agricultural sector. Innovate UK and Defra reserve the right to adjust funding allocations under exceptional circumstances, and all projects must comply with UK subsidy control legislation, animal welfare standards, and ethical guidelines.
For more information, visit GOV.UK.
