ADOPT Facilitator Support Grant: Round 5

Overview

‍Defra, through the Farming Innovation Programme, will invest up to £100,000 on-farm trials and experiments. Projects must test and demonstrate innovative ideas or solutions addressing on-farm or immediate post-farmgate challenges with tangible benefits for English farmers, growers, and foresters. The aim is to improve productivity, resilience, sustainability, and net zero progression.

Scope

• Projects should trial ideas or solutions that are new or not yet widely adopted.
• Must demonstrate clear benefits for other farmers, growers, or foresters.
• Proposals must include plans to share outputs and learning across the sector.
• Defra and Innovate UK will fund a portfolio of diverse projects across technologies, practices, sectors, and regions.

Key themes and topics

• Agriculture
• Horticulture
• Agro-forestry

Project duration

• 6 to 24 months
• Start: 1 March 2026
• End: 29 February 2028

Award value

• Eligible project costs: £50,000–£100,000

Funding rates

• Active farmers, growers, foresters (England, Wales, Scotland): up to 80%
• Micro/small organisations (NI): up to 70%
• Medium organisations: up to 60%
• Large organisations: up to 50%
• Research organisations (non-economic activity): up to 60%
• 100% for RTOs, charities, not-for-profits, public sector, and research organisations
• At least 50% of total grant funding must go to English farmers, growers, or foresters

Eligibility criteria

• Project costs between £50,000–£100,000
• Collaborative projects: minimum two farming/growing/forestry partners
• Must include a Project Facilitator listed in the ADOPT Innovate UK Business Connect database
• Work conducted in the UK, with results intended for exploitation in England
• Open innovation approach: sharing outputs with other farmers, growers, or foresters
• Lead applicant must be an active commercial farming, growing, or forestry business in England
• Collaborators can include UK-registered businesses, research organisations, charities, not-for-profits, and public sector bodies
• Non-UK partners may join but must self-fund