Farming Futures R&D fund: Automation and Robotics Round 2

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £20 million to develop innovative solutions for automation and robotics in agriculture, horticulture and forestry. This funding is from the Farming Futures R&D fund.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) will invest up to £20 million in innovation projects. This is subject to a sufficient number of high quality applications being received. This funding is part of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme which is delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. Your project’s total eligible costs must be between £500,000 and £2.5 million.

The aim of this competition is to fund collaborative projects with ambitious solutions for robotics and automation in agriculture, horticulture and forestry to:

• address key issues affecting the sector, where automation and robotics can mitigate challenges such as productivity, resource use efficiency, food quality and traceability, waste, crop and animal health, animal welfare and sustainability
• reduce the reliance on seasonal labour in agriculture where automation and robotics are seen as the most viable solution
• support the specific recommendations for automation innovation funding from Defra reviews including the Automation in Horticulture review
• align with the Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy that identifies Agri-Tech as a Frontier Industry within the Advanced Manufacturing sector plan

Scope

he innovative technologies in your proposal must focus on one or more of the following and be applicable to agriculture, horticulture and forestry:

• robotic and intelligent automated machines and systems for static or mobile operation
• imaging, sensing, and monitoring devices and systems to collect and store data and associated intelligent systems to process data for management records and to drive management decisions and automated actions
• post harvest automation for on farm and immediate post farm gate operations only, including horticultural and field crop preparation, packing and supply chain systems
• intelligent systems for on farm food storage management and monitoring
• intelligent systems for on farm energy management and monitoring

Your project must seek to significantly improve:

• productivity
• sustainability and environmental impact of farming
• progression towards net zero emissions
• longer term resilience

You must be able to demonstrate how the solution and output will benefit farmers, or growers in England.

Dates and How to Apply

This competition opens on 3 August 2026 and closes 11am on 30 September 2026. You can find full information and apply on the Government’s Funding Service.

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