Farming Innovation Programme (Feasibility/Small R&D Partnership Projects)

Dates:

• Competition closes: 1 December 2021, 11am
• ‘Feasibility’ Projects
  • Applicants notified: 21^st February, 2022
  • Project start date & duration: April-May 2022 for up to 24 months
• ‘Small R&D partnership’ projects
  • Interview Phase: 14^th January – 14^th February 2022
  • Applicants Notified 10^th March 2022
  • Project start date & duration: May-June 2022 for up to 36 months

Scope

The aim of this competition is to fund industrial research studies developing new solutions that will address major on-farm or immediate post farmgate challenges or opportunities. UKRI will fund projects that:

• 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

Specific Themes

Your project must address a significant industry challenge or opportunity in at least one of these industry subsectors:

• Livestock
• Plants
• Novel food production systems
• Bioeconomy and agroforestry

Projects that will not be funded

• Equine Specific
• Wild caught fisheries
• Aquaculture, including algae and seaweed production​
• Cellular or acellular production systems
• Fermentation systems for bacteria, yeast or fungi​
• Projects that do not benefit farmers, growers or foresters in England

Eligibility

• Lead organisation must be a UK registered business. ‘R&D Partnership projects’ must include a UK based collaborator
• State aid funding rules apply
• Must intend to exploit the results from or in England
• Must have at least 50% of the farmers, growers or foresters involved based in England

Funding Rates

• Feasibility (TRL 2-3): Total eligible project costs between £200,000 and £500,000.
• Small R&D partnerships (TRL 3-5): Total eligible projects costs between £1 million to £3 million

• You could get funding for your eligible project costs of:
  • up to 70% if you are a micro or small organisation
  • up to 60% if you are a medium-sized organisation
  • up to 50% if you are a large organisation
• Research organisations in your consortium can share up to 30% of the UK total eligible project costs.