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
Why work with us?
At Kene, we make securing and managing grant funding simple, efficient, and effective. Whether you’re applying for funding, setting up a new project, or managing ongoing reporting, our services are tailored to support you throughout the entire process.
Our team of STEM qualified consultants and sector specialists bring a breadth of technical expertise gained from supporting our extensive SME client portfolio, across more than 17 industries. Our end-to-end approach ensures each project meets funding competition requirements while maximising the chances of success and ensuring smooth implementation.
We know what strong funding applications look like, and more importantly, how to make your project stand out.
Book a free consultation with our expert grant funding advisors today.
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