Grant News

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), in partnership with Innovate UK, has launched the Full ADOPT Grant: Round 1 to support on-farm trial and demonstration projects across England. The grant has been introduced to accelerate the adoption of innovative solutions that improve productivity, resilience, sustainability, and progress towards net zero in agriculture. There is a pressing need for practical, farm-led experimentation to tackle key challenges facing the sector.

The project’s total costs must be between £50,000 and £100,000. A total of £2 million is available in this round.

The grant is open to farming, growing, and forestry businesses based in England, regardless of size, but they must apply in collaboration with at least one other UK-based business or organisation. Every application must include at least one active farmer, grower or forester in the project team.

Funding will support practical, on-the-ground trialling and demonstration of new ideas, technologies, and methods that address real issues at the farm level. Activities may include testing solutions that are already in use elsewhere, adapting them to new settings, or generating evidence to encourage wider uptake. The purpose is to bridge the gap between innovation and everyday agricultural practice.

The Full ADOPT Grant is currently open for applications. The deadline to apply is 11:00am on 25 June 2025. Applications must be submitted online through the Innovation Funding Service. To help prospective applicants, a number of virtual briefing sessions and webinars will be held during the application window. These sessions aim to explain the application process and support the formation of collaborative teams. A £2,500 facilitator grant is also available to help develop partnerships and scope project ideas.

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