Forum
Farming Innovation and Farming Futures
The Farming Innovation Programme is part of Defra’s investment in innovation, research and development.
Defra is partnering with Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), to fund projects that benefit farmers, growers and foresters in England.
All funding will be awarded through competitions. This means applications for each competition will be judged, and only the successful ones will be funded.
The programme’s aims are to:
- help farmers, growers and foresters increase productivity, sustainability and resilience
- reduce the environmental impact of agriculture and horticulture
- apply agricultural research to provide real benefits for farmers, growers and foresters
- use science to develop solutions for the practical challenges in agriculture and horticulture
To get funding, you must work in collaboration with a team.
Farming Futures: Nutrient Management Phase 1 - Feasibility
Farming Futures: Nutrient Management Phase 1 - Industrial Research
Competition opens: Wednesday 29 May 2024
Competition closes: Wednesday 24 July 2024 11:00am
Farming Futures: Environmental resilience, Industrial research
Competition opens: Monday 22 May 2023
Competition closes: Thursday 20 July 2023 12:00pm
Which competition to apply for
You should consider the type of work you want to do and the amount of funding available.
| You want to | Competition name | Project size | Length (up to) | Who can lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Explore an idea and develop a team | Research Starter | £28-56K | 18 months | Farmers, growers, foresters |
| Check if an idea works in practice | Feasibility Studies | £200-500K | 2 years | UK Businesses |
| Develop a new product or service | Small R&D partnerships
Large R&D partnerships |
£1-3 million
£3-5 million |
3 years
4 years |
UK Businesses
UK Businesses |
| Work on longer-term innovations | Farming Futures R&D | £200K – 6 million | 2 to 5 years | Research organisations or UK businesses |
Plan ahead – competition schedule
Competitions will be published on the Innovation Funding Service as they open, with full eligibility and application information for each one.
You can find early information here to help you plan ahead.
| Competition name | Opens | Closes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farming Futures R&D – Nutrient Management, Phase 1 – Feasibility | 29 May 2024 | 24 July 2024 | Details available |
| Farming Futures R&D – Nutrient Management, Phase 1 – Industrial Research | 29 May 2024 | 24 July 2024 | Details available |
| Farming Futures R&D – Nutrient Management, Phase 2 | Autumn 2024 | Autumn 2024 | Upcoming |
| Small R&D Partnerships (round 4) | Autumn 2024 | Autumn 2024 | Upcoming |
| Feasibility Studies (round 4) | Autumn 2024 | Autumn 2024 | Upcoming |
| Farming Futures R&D – Net Zero Farming | Autumn 2024 | Autumn 2024 | Upcoming |
Learn more
