Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle has announced the opening of the latest Farming Innovation Programme, with a £13m fund available for Small R&D Partnerships.
Delivered alongside Innovate UK, the competition will provide funding for high-potential projects, delivering grants of between £1m and £3m. This will reportedly help researchers, farmers and agri-tech businesses develop new products and services.
Previous successful projects have included robot pickers for tomatoes, hoverflies as a natural pest control and a new vaccine to protect against Streptococcus suis.
Dame Angela Eagle said: “This funding will take brilliant ideas off the drawing board and put them to the test on farms, turning cutting-edge research into practical solutions that farmers can use.
“As set out in the Farming Roadmap, we’re backing the people turning ideas into action, helping farmers boost productivity, build resilience and meet the challenges of tomorrow.”
Chris Danks, Head of Agrifood at Innovate UK said: “Innovation is critical to supporting a productive, resilient and competitive farming sector.
“By bringing together farmers, researchers and agri-tech businesses, this competition will help turn cutting-edge ideas into practical solutions that address the challenges facing agriculture today.
“Working in partnership with Defra, Innovate UK is supporting the development and commercialisation of innovations that can drive growth, improve sustainability and strengthen UK food production for the future.”