Defra: Farming Innovation Programme funds (multiple competitions)

Agri-TechE regularly update this post to summarise the Defra Farming Innovation Programme funding calls. These calls are generally open to all businesses, and encourage collaboration with farmers. The Farming Investment Fund is aimed towards growers and farmers; we list those seperately here. Full information on all Defra funding is available on the UKRI website. Agri-TechE can help find partners and collaborators for projects; please get in touch with us for more info.

As part of the Sector Plan released in 2025, £200million has been committed to the FIP (Farming Innovation Programme) funds up to 2030. The schedule for upcoming competitions for 2026 has been announced which you can see here.

Details are emerging on new rounds of the calls below, and we will update this page as we get information.

Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT)

Summary:

These grants are focused on providing groups of farmers, growers and foresters in England with support to conduct on-farm experiments and trials. This will allow farmers to drive practical research that is relevant to them as well as providing “pull-through” of new technologies and processes to the practical domain. The funding and support available through ADOPT funding will help de-risk farmers’ participation in research and innovation. 

How much you can apply for:

There will be a total of £30 million grant funding available up until 2028/29 (up from the previous estimate of £20million). Grants will be available to fund projects of between £50,000 to £100,000 in size and are open on a rolling basis.

See more information about the ADOPT programme in our Funding Finder.

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Farmer Collaboration Fund – OPEN

The Farmer Collaboration Fund (FCF) aims to support farmers, land managers and growers to manage land in a productive, nature friendly and sustainable way and find practical solutions that support their businesses and the environment. The FCF will create opportunities to learn from each other, share knowledge and lessons learned, create joined up plans for landscape-level projects and apply for more ambitious land management schemes, in both government and private sectors.

Funds will be awarded to successful delivery partners, who will need to show knowledge and understanding of collaboration, including locally relevant issues. They will use the funds flexibly to support collaboration groups in ways that are important for their area and will help achieve Defra’s objectives.

An FCF agreement will last 3 years and will range from £200,000 to £1 million per year. Around 20 grants are expected with £5 million funding available annually.

• Opening date: 5 August 2026, 9:00am
• Closing date: 30 September 2026, 11:59pm (Midnight)

See full information and apply. 

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R&D Partnership Projects

If you have a new farming product or service you want to develop, you can apply to be funded as a ‘Research and Development (R&D) Partnership’ project.

It’s your chance to pitch something that could improve farming methods and help the environment.

You need to be a business registered in the UK to lead a project. Research organisations and other businesses, including farmers, growers and foresters, can collaborate as part of the project team.

• Large R&D Partnership Projects 

You’ll need to collaborate with at least one other business or research organisation (Agri-TechE can help members identify partners). Projects can last up to 4 years and need to cost between £3 million and £5 million, and will be industrial research or experimental development projects addressing major on-farm or immediate post farmgate challenges or opportunities.

• Small R&D Partnership Projects – OPEN
• Open 1st September – 14th October 2026

Small R&D Partnerships projects develop new farming products or services, bringing them closer to commercial use once you’ve proven your idea works in practice.  You’ll need to collaborate with at least one other business or research organisation (Agri-TechE can help members identify partners). Projects can last up to 30 months and need to cost between £1 million and £3 million.

Current round open 1st September-14th October. Find out more and apply.

• Feasibility Studies

If you’ve been researching an idea that could improve farming, you can apply for funding to check if it will work in practice. The ‘Feasibility Studies’ competition is for projects that cost between £200,000 and £500,000.

Projects can last for up to 2 years and should help you decide if it’s worth investing more in the development of a product or service.

You need to be a business registered in the UK to lead on a ‘Feasibility Studies’ project. Research organisations, farmers and growers, and other businesses can be part of the project team as collaborators.

Further rounds TBA.

Research Starter

If you, or a group of farmers, have an idea you think could improve farming and solve a long-term practical challenge, you can apply for funding for a ‘Research Starter Project’. The funding is for farmers, growers and foresters to explore ways to bring benefits across the whole farming community. You’ll be able to investigate a problem you know exists to work out what could best be done about it.

£28-56k for a project length of up to 18 months (previously 12 months).

Find out more information on the call page. No future calls have yet been confirmed.

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Farming Futures R&D Fund – OPEN

Open 3rd August – 30th September 2026 with a theme of robotics and automation

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £12.5 million for each round. This competition is for UK businesses and research organisations who want to work on longer-term projects that will benefit farmers, growers or foresters in England through the development of innovative solutions. Farmers and agriculture businesses may also lead these applications.

Projects must have total costs of £1million – £2.5million and last up to 36 months. 

Find out more and apply.

Future themes:

• Robotics and automation, opening 3rd August – 30th September 2026
• Soils and water quality – dates tbc, Winter 2026

 

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Water Management Grant

The Water Management Grant will reopen with up to £15m available to help farmers build on-farm reservoirs. The grant is expected to open in the autumn. 

This means that farmers will be able to store more water when it’s available and use it when it is needed most, improving resilience during dry periods and helping protect crop production. 

On-farm water storage is an important part of preparing for more frequent periods of extreme weather. Having access to a reliable supply of water can help farmers manage short-term pressures while strengthening the long-term resilience of their businesses. 

The scheme will focus on supporting water storage for crop irrigation, helping the horticulture and arable sectors adapt to climate change and improve resilience to drought. If demand exceeds the funding available, the budget will be kept under review and consideration given for providing additional funding. 

You can see other open funding calls in our Funding Finder.