Robotic harvesting, biological pest control and animal health research illustrate the opportunities as a new funding round opens for agricultural innovation.
Agritech businesses and researchers can compete for a share of up to £13 million to develop practical solutions for farming, as the government seeks to bring promising technologies closer to commercial use.
The fifth Small R&D Partnerships competition opened on 1 September through the Farming Innovation Programme, delivered by Defra in partnership with Innovate UK.
Applicants must demonstrate benefits for farmers, growers or foresters in England. Projects must be collaborative, led by a UK registered business and include at least one UK registered small or medium-sized enterprise claiming funding.
The detailed competition guidance specifies total eligible project costs of between £1 million and £3 million, with projects lasting up to 30 months. Those figures describe the project budget, rather than a guaranteed grant covering the entire cost.
Earlier funding rounds show the range of challenges being addressed, with horticulture featuring prominently.
Vitrum is developing robotic harvesters capable of picking tomatoes from the vine. Combining machine vision, robotic arms and soft grippers, the project aims to help growers manage seasonal labour shortages, expand domestic production and reduce reliance on imports.
FLYTHRIVE takes a different approach to crop protection. It is exploring how automated monitoring and natural attractants can encourage hoverflies to locate aphid colonies in berry crops. Their larvae feed on the pests, offering a potential alternative to chemical treatments.
Animal health research has also received support. A vaccine project is targeting multiple strains of Streptococcus suis in pigs, with the aim of preventing disease and reducing antibiotic use.
These projects were supported through previous rounds and are examples of technologies under development, rather than recipients of the newly opened competition.
Chris Danks, head of agrifood at Innovate UK, said: “Innovation is critical to supporting a productive, resilient and competitive farming sector.”
Collaboration is a requirement across the programme. Its funding routes cover different stages of development, from exploring an initial idea and testing feasibility to developing products and supporting adoption on farms.
Innovate UK Business Connect can help prospective applicants find partners, while competition briefings explain the application process.
For this round, proposals must address a significant challenge or opportunity involving plants, farmed animals, novel food production systems, or the bioeconomy and agroforestry.
Assessment will take place in two stages, with selected applicants invited to interview. Funding remains competitive and depends on the quality of applications received.
Applications close at 11am UK time on 14 October 2026, giving prospective partnerships a defined window to develop their proposals and set out how their research could deliver commercially relevant benefits.
