Advance Notice of IUK’s Farming Innovation Programme Suite of Competitions
Advance Notice of IUK’s Farming Innovation Programme Suite of Competitions
Administered by Innovate UK (IUK), the Farming Innovation Programme will fund ambitious research and development projects that will benefit England’s farmers, growers, foresters and other businesses. The aim is to boost productivity, enhance sustainable practices, improve environmental outcomes and reduce carbon emissions in England’s agricultural and horticultural sectors.
Three separate competitions make up the overall programme:
Feasibility Projects Competition
This competition will fund feasibility studies investigating new solutions that address major on-farm or immediate post farmgate challenges or opportunities. A total of £5.5 million is available. Each project’s total eligible costs must be between £200,000 and £500,000.
UK registered business of any size must lead a project. They must collaborate with other businesses of any size, registered academic institutions, research and technology organisations (RTOs), public sector organisations, charities or not-for-profit organisations.
This competition opens on 20 October 2021. The deadline for applications is 1 December 2021 (11:00 GMT).
Small R&D Partnership Projects Competition
This competition is funding industrial research studies developing new solutions that will address major on-farm or immediate post farmgate challenges or opportunities. A total of £11 million has been allocated. Each project’s total eligible costs must be between £1 million and £3 million.
The competition is open to collaborations only. UK registered businesses of any size must lead a project. They must collaborate with other UK businesses of any size, academic institutions, RTOs, public sector organisations, charities or not-for-profit organisations. The lead must work with at least one SME.
This competition opens on 20 October 2021. The deadline for applications is 1 December 2021 (11:00 GMT)
Research Starter Pilot – EoI Competition
This is an expression of interest (EoI) competition. If the application is successful, applicants will be invited to apply to a full stage competition in February 2022. The competition aims to provide an entry point for farmers, growers or foresters that have bold, ambitious, early-stage ideas solving major problems that impact their business. This may help them exploit new significant opportunities for their business or industry sub-sector. A total of £1 million is available. Project cost details are not required at the EoI stage. At the full application stage the project’s total eligible costs must be between £28,000 and £56,000.
The competition is open to single applicants. To lead a project, the organisation must be a farming, growing or forestry business of any size, based in England. The lead must be able to evidence that they are an established business. This includes sole traders and partnerships. To collaborate with the lead at the full stage, the organisation must be a UK registered organisation, or a farmer, grower or forester based in the UK.
This competition opens on 20 October 2021. The deadline for applications is 24 November 2021 (11:00 GMT).