Farming Innovation Programme: Small R&D Partnership Projects

The Farming Innovation Programme is offering innovation grants for small research and development (R&D) partnership projects. This grant scheme is designed to benefit farmers, growers, and foresters in England by funding long-term projects that test and develop new ideas. The goal is to enhance food production, resilience, and sustainability across the industry.

Up to £7.8 million is available, funded by the industry-led R&D Partnerships Fund, a part of the Defra Farming Innovation Programme.

The aim of this competition is to:

• Develop solutions with the potential to improve overall productivity, sustainability, resilience, and move existing agricultural sectors to net zero.
• Ensure solutions have positive outputs for farmers, growers, or foresters in commercially relevant situations.
• Develop new agricultural solutions by collaboration through engagement with end users and the UK research community in the innovation process.
• Accelerate adoption by ensuring knowledge exchange with the wider sector and other stakeholders.

Your proposal must be able to demonstrate how the project will benefit farmers, growers, or foresters in England.

Solutions must significantly improve: 

• Productivity
• Sustainability and the environmental impact of farming
• Progression towards net zero emissions
• Resilience

Your project must address a significant industry challenge or opportunity in at least one of the industry subsectors below:

• Farmed animals
• Plants
• Novel food production systems
• Bioeconomy and agroforestry

This competition has a two-stage assessment. If your project is assessed as eligible, you may be invited to present at an interview. The selection of successful projects will be decided after interviews.