Defra announces £14m to unlock agricultural innovation

More than £14m is to be made available to unlock innovation and develop solutions in the farming sector in two new research and feasibility competitions under the Farming Innovation Programme, Defra has announced today (Wednesday 2 August).

It is part of the government’s delivery of its commitment to invest £600m in innovation and productivity in the sector over three years, and adds further support to the development and take-up of innovative practices on farms to boost productivity and sustainability whilst meeting net zero targets.

The competitions are open to farmers, growers, foresters, research organisations and businesses involved in agriculture to collaborate on novel ideas and solutions. Previous rounds have led to investment in automations to improve soft fruit yield; a ‘herd’ of lightweight, battery-operated, asparagus-harvesting robots; and the use of ultraviolet as a disinfectant in the dairy and poultry sectors.

Farming Minister Mark Spencer said: “These competitions are all about encouraging collaborations between farmers and growers on the one hand, and research organisations and industry on the other, to help bring ideas from the planning stage into practice.”

Defra is today publishing guidance for the third round of the Small R&D Partnerships competition, which seeks to help businesses develop a new farming product or service and take it to commercialisation on the open market. Worth almost £10m, it has been developed in partnership with the Transforming Food Production Challenge and is delivered by Innovate UK.

It comes alongside new guidance for a £4.5m Feasibility Studies competition which aims to support businesses and researchers through the difficult testing phase of an idea, checking whether it works in practice and helping them assess whether to invest in a project.

It looks for early-stage  solutions that  have the  potential to  substantially improve  the overall productivity, sustainability and resilience of farming, and move existing agricultural sectors to net zero.

Successful applicants in previous rounds include a study to identify fungal strains that can help fight against insect and fungal pests in wheat crops, reducing the costs associated with multiple applications of chemical pesticides, mechanical damage from repeated spray applications and crop yield losses.

The guidance is available on GOV UK and farmers, growers, foresters, research organisations and businesses are encouraged to read this ahead of applications opening. Applications for the Small R&D Partnerships competition open on 14 August and the Feasibility Studies competition window is open from 18 September.

Dr Katrina Hayter, executive director for the Healthy Living and Agriculture Domain at Innovate UK, said: “We look forward to supporting the next round of applicants and identifying promising partnerships that hold the potential to address the sustainability, efficiency, and net zero challenges confronting the UK’s agrifood industry.

“By fostering collaborations between farmers, growers, agri-businesses and researchers, these partnerships become the driving force behind transforming innovative solutions into practical applications.”

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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