Farming Innovation Investor Partnerships Competition: deadline reminder

If you’re working on an innovation that could improve farming in England, there’s still time to apply for funding through the Farming Innovation Investor Partnerships competition.

The deadline to apply is 17 June at 11am.

The competition is part of the Farming Innovation Programme, which is run by Defra in partnership with Innovate UK.

It combines government funding with private investment to help agri-tech businesses grow and bring farm-focused innovations closer to market. It aims to reduce the risks linked to late-stage development, attract investment to promising ideas and help practical solutions reach farms sooner.

Private investment is led by Innovate UK’s Investor Partner Pool. Up to £5 million in government funding is available across the competition.

How to apply

You can read the guidance and apply through the Innovation Funding Service on GOV.UK.

Applicants must be:

• a UK-registered micro, small or medium-sized business

• seeking late seed or Series A investment

• developing an innovation close to commercial use

Projects must:

• deliver clear benefits for farmers, growers or agricultural businesses in England

• cost between £750,000 and £3 million

• last up to 18 months

• be carried out in the UK

Grant funding will cover:

• up to 45% of costs for micro or small organisations

• up to 35% of costs for medium-sized organisations

Applications will be assessed by independent experts from business and academia.

Application support

On 18 May, we ran a briefing session which covered the application process.

Watch the recording

Download the presentation slides

Subscribe to the Farming Blog

We regularly share updates on funding opportunities, competitions and grants through the Farming Blog. If you’d like to stay informed when new information becomes available, you can subscribe to receive an email update whenever we publish a new post.