By Joss Wallace
I'm pleased to let you know that 2 new competition rounds will
open this autumn through the Farming Innovation Programme
(FIP).
The competitions offer research groups alongside farmers, growers
and foresters the chance to test and develop ideas that could
improve productivity, sustainability and resilience in
agriculture.
In total, £12.6 million will be split between:
- Feasibility Studies (£4.8 million)
- Small Research & Development Partnerships (£7.8
million)
We're not setting specific topics or themes for projects.
Instead, we want to fund solutions that the industry tells us are
the highest priority.
This is the fourth round for each of the competitions, delivered
in partnership with Innovate UK. These latest competitions are
part of the government's commitment, set out in the Industrial
Strategy, to allocate at least £200 million for the Farming
Innovation Programme up to 2030.
Feasibility Studies competition
Feasibility Studies projects
will test whether a research idea works in real-world
conditions.
We want to support early-stage, innovative solutions and
encourage businesses to work together on new ideas. There will be
a consortia-building event to help you find partners.
Projects can receive between £200,000 and £500,000 in funding and
last up to 24 months.
The guidance will be available on 29 September. We'll add the
link when it's live.
- The competition will open on 13 October 2025
- The competition will close on 3 December 2025
Small Research & Development Partnerships
competition
Small R&D Partnerships
projects develop new farming products or services, bringing them
closer to commercial use once you've proven your idea works in
practice.
Projects should range from £1 million to £3 million and can last
up to 30 months.
The guidance for Small
R&D Partnerships is available now.
- The competition will open on 15 September 2025
- The competition will close on 5 November 2025
Learn more
All projects in each competition must focus on improving the
productivity, environmental sustainability and resilience of
England's agricultural, horticultural and forestry sectors. We
hope you'll join the events linked above.
You can explore inspiring FIP case studies that
highlight the real-world projects making a difference on farms
and in forests across England.
From breakthrough technologies to new ways of working, these
stories show how fresh ideas are helping to tackle challenges and
create a more efficient, sustainable future for the sector.
Success story: RootWave
Our funding helped bring RootWave to market, which
replaces chemical herbicide spraying with technology that zaps
the weeds with electricity. As well as avoiding soil damage from
chemicals, farmers have said that it cuts costs, and works in any
weather unlike chemicals which cannot be used in bad
conditions.
