Overview
This grant supports farmers, growers and foresters in England to strengthen their applications for the Full ADOPT Grant. It provides a fixed £2,500 contribution to engage a registered Project Facilitator, helping applicants develop a stronger, more competitive submission.
Delivered through Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme in partnership with Innovate UK, the competition aims to improve application quality, widen access to funding, and build capability across the agricultural innovation ecosystem.
Funding is released once evidence is provided that a Full ADOPT Grant application has been submitted for assessment. Successful applicants are expected to begin supported activity by 1 September 2026.
Scope
The project that applicants intend to develop and submit as a Full ADOPT Grant application must be for an on-farm trial or experiment to test new ideas and solutions. This is to demonstrate to farmers, growers or foresters whether it works in real on-farm conditions.
Proposals must demonstrate to other farmers, growers or foresters in England how the idea or solution will be of benefit to them.
Projects must focus on testing and trialling ideas or solutions that are either new or not yet widely used.
A portfolio approach will be taken to fund a variety of projects across different technologies, markets, themes, practices and processes, farming sectors, and regions.
Key themes and topics
The project that applicants intend to develop and submit as a Full ADOPT Grant application must be for an on-farm trial or experiment to test new ideas and solutions. This is to demonstrate to farmers, growers or foresters whether it works in real on-farm conditions.
Projects need to address major on-farm or immediate post farmgate challenges or opportunities and must have the potential to significantly improve one or more of the following:
- productivity
- resilience
- sustainability and progression towards net zero farming
Proposals must demonstrate to other farmers, growers or foresters in England how the idea or solution will be of benefit to them.
Projects must focus on testing and trialling ideas or solutions that are either new or not yet widely used.
Projects must address a significant industry challenge or opportunity in at least one or more of the following sectors:
- agriculture
- horticulture
- agro-forestry
Projects will not be funded if they:
- do not benefit farmers, growers or foresters in England
- are based on funded crop variety plot trials
- are based on existing demonstration trials or projects
- are for the production of crops or plants for medicinal or pharmaceutical use
- are for cultivated meat
- are based on equine systems
- involve wild caught fisheries
- involve aquaculture, such as algae and seaweed for human consumption
- involve fermentation systems for bacteria, yeast or fungi for human consumption
Project duration
Must start by 1 September 2026
Award value
Grant funding request £2,500
Funding rates
This grant provides 100% funding for eligible costs, covering the £2,500 facilitator support fee for successful applicants.
Eligibility criteria
- Projects must be led by an active farming, growing or forestry business based in England
- Applicants must be established commercial businesses, including sole traders and partnerships
- Applicants must engage an external Project Facilitator registered with Innovate UK Business Connect
- Projects must result in the submission of a Full ADOPT Grant application
- Subcontractors are not allowed in this competition
- Applicants can only submit one application per round and receive a maximum of two facilitator support grants overall
- All funded activity must relate to UK-based agricultural operations
- Subsidy control rules apply under the Subsidy Control Act 2022
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