Agricultural businesses have been invited to apply for grant funding under the first round of the Farming Innovation Programme.
The scheme, announced earlier this year, forms part of plans to support farmers, growers, foresters, and others in the wake of Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic.
The initiative is split into three separate funding rounds: the ‘industry-led R&D partnerships fund’, which launched this week, the ‘farming futures R&D fund’, launching early next year, and the ‘projects to accelerate adoption fund’, launching later in 2022.
According to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), £17.5 million is available in the first round, aimed at agricultural businesses seeking to “develop new technologies and practices that will help them overcome challenges” and “exploit new opportunities in the sector” – such as the use of artificial intelligence and low-emission machineries.
The fund – split into three separate competitions – is open for applications for five to six weeks. You can find more about each competition below:
- Research Starter Projects (for projects with estimated costs of between £28,000 and £56,000)
- Feasibility Projects (for projects with estimated costs of between £200,000 and £500,000)
- Small R&D Partnership Projects (for projects with estimated costs of between £1 million and £3 million).
Commenting on the funding, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Jo Churchill, said: “Innovation is vital to address the challenges facing the agricultural and horticultural sectors. New ideas, technologies and processes will play a key role in helping farmers, growers and businesses to become more productive.
“The Farming Innovation Programme will enable the sector to be more environmentally sustainable and resilient, whilst helping it achieve its net-zero ambitions. I encourage all eligible businesses and individuals to apply.”
For help and advice applying for this grant or any others, please get in touch with our grant funding team today.