UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £7.8 million for small R&D partnership projects. This funding is from the industry led R&D Partnerships Fund, a part of the Defra Farming Innovation Programme.
Competition opens: Monday 15 September 2025
Competition closes: Wednesday 5 November 2025 11:00am
Description
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will invest up to £7.8 million in innovation projects. This funding is part of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme which is delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.
We reserve the right to adjust funding allocations for any of our competitions under exceptional circumstances, for example, in response to changes in policy, portfolio funding considerations, or broader government funding decisions.
The aim of this competition is to:
- develop solutions with the potential to improve overall productivity, sustainability, resilience and move existing agricultural sectors to net zero
- ensure solutions have positive outputs for farmers, growers or foresters in commercially relevant situations
- develop new agricultural solutions by collaboration through engagement with end users and the UK research community in the innovation process
- accelerate adoption by ensuring knowledge exchange with the wider sector and other stakeholders
Your proposal must be able to demonstrate how the project will benefit farmers, growers or foresters in England.
Eligibility
Who can apply
Your project
If your application passes the technical assessment, any awards given to primary agricultural producers are subject to the green box exemption under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture.
See further guidance on green box subsidies WTO Guidance for support in Agriculture. Applicants receiving this type of support must ensure that there is minimal to no distortion of trade and comply with the requirements of Annex 2 of the Agriculture Agreement.
Your project must:
- have total costs between £1 million and £3 million
- last up to 30 months
- be collaborative
- carry out all of its project work in the UK
- intend to exploit the results from or in England
- start by 1 July 2026
- end by 31 Dec 2028
Scope
Your Proposal
The aim of this competition is to:
- develop solutions with the potential to improve overall productivity, sustainability, resilience and move existing agricultural sectors to net zero
- ensure solutions have positive outputs for farmers, growers or foresters in commercially relevant situations
- develop new agricultural solutions, by collaboration through engagement with end users and the UK research community in the innovation process
- accelerate adoption by ensuring knowledge exchange with the wider sector and other stakeholders
Your solutions must significantly improve:
- productivity
- sustainability and the environmental impact of farming
- progression towards net zero emissions
- resilience
Businesses within a supply chain, are encouraged to come together as a partnership to solve major challenges or opportunities.
Your project must be able to demonstrate how the project will benefit farmers, growers or foresters in England.
Specific Themes
Your project must address a significant industry challenge or opportunity in at least one of the industry subsectors below:
- farmed animals
- plants
- novel food production systems
- bioeconomy and agroforestry
Research Categories
We will fund industrial research projects as defined in the guidance on categories of research.
Projects We Will Not Fund
We are not funding projects that:
- do not benefit farmers, growers or foresters in England
- are equine specific
- involve wild caught fisheries
- involve aquaculture for fish production or human consumption
- involve cellular or acellular production systems, fermentation systems for bacteria, yeast or fungi for human consumption
- are for the production of crops or plants for medicinal or pharmaceutical use
We cannot fund projects that are:
- dependent on export performance, for example, giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it exports a certain quantity of bread to another country
- dependent on domestic inputs usage, for example, giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it uses 50% UK flour in their product
Dates
- 15 September 2025 Recorded applicant briefing: watch the recording
- 15 September 2025 Competition opens
- 18 September 2025 Online Q&A and consortia building event between 9am and 11am: Register to attend
- 5 November 2025 11:00am Competition closes
- 17 December 2025 Invite to interview
- 10 February 2026 Interview panel starts
- 20 February 2026 Interview panel ends
- 11 March 2026 Applicants notified
- 13 March 2026 Successful applicant briefing
- 1 July 2026 Project start from
Before you start
You must read the guidance on applying for a competition on the Innovation Funding Service before you start.
Before submitting, it is the lead applicant’s responsibility to make sure:
- that all the information provided in the application is correct
- your proposal meets the eligibility and scope criteria
- all sections of the application are marked as complete
- that all partners have completed all assigned sections and accepted the terms and conditions (T&Cs)
You can reopen your application once submitted, up until the competition deadline. You must resubmit the application before the competition deadline.
What we ask you
The application is split into three sections:
- Project details.
- Application questions.
- Finances.
Explore Grant Opportunities with Expert Guidance
Interested in learning more about this grant competition and how it can benefit your project?
Click here to book a consultation or send a message to discuss the details and explore how you can maximise your chances of success. If you’re seeking support in crafting a compelling application, our experts are here to help. Let’s collaborate to navigate the competition process and unlock new opportunities for your business.
Explore Grant Opportunities with Expert Guidance
Interested in learning more about this grant competition and how it can benefit your project?
Click here to book a consultation or send a message to discuss the details and explore how you can maximise your chances of success. If you’re seeking support in crafting a compelling application, our experts are here to help. Let’s collaborate to navigate the competition process and unlock new opportunities for your business.
