Government launches £5m grant funding programme for farming innovators
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Posted: Tue 4th Jul 2023
Small and medium sized farming businesses will be able to apply for a share of £5m in grant funding for innovations that increase sustainable food production.
Opening for applications on 24 July, the Farming Innovation Investor Partnership competition is aimed at agricultural projects "that have demonstrated the potential to grow and generate revenue, supporting the commercialisation of on-farm technologies that can then be rolled out across the industry".
As well as sustainable food production, the grant programme focuses on driving progress to net zero, improving farm resilience and support nature recovery.
The scheme is an extension of the £270m Farming Innovation Programme which has provided £100m for projects including autonomous livestock monitoring systems, robotic fruit harvesting systems, concentrated light weeding using AI, intelligent robotic cow cubicles and digital crop management for the early detection of glasshouse pests and diseases.
For the latest funding, businesses can bid for up to 45% of project costs in grants which must be matched by at least twice the amount in private investment. Projects must be led by a sole UK registered micro, small, or medium-sized business.
Applications open on Monday 24 July 2023 and close at 10am on Wednesday 30 August 2023.
The scheme is funded by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, run in partnership with UK Research & Innovation and delivered by Innovate UK
Farming minister Mark Spencer said:
"Supporting a resilient, sustainable and innovative agriculture sector that puts food on our tables while safeguarding the environment is my priority, and we are working with farmers to deliver this through our new farming schemes and grants.
"By bringing together cutting-edge agri-innovation and public and private investment, we can unlock new technologies that help make our farm businesses as productive as possible."
Full details about the Farming Innovation Investor Partnership competition are here. Businesses can also sign up for an online briefing at 10.30am on 25 July.
Relevant Enterprise Nation resources
Plan it with Purpose business sustainability hub
The risks and benefits of companies going net zero
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