WIREDGOV

A £13 million investment will help bring new technology from the lab to the farm, giving farmers practical tools to tackle some of the challenges they face every day. 

Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle today (Tuesday 1 September) announced the opening of the latest Farming Innovation Programme competition, backed by £13 million to help promising agricultural innovations to move closer to market. 

Delivered in partnership with Innovate UK, the competition will provide a small number of high potential projects with grants of £1-3 million to help researchers, farmers and agri-tech businesses develop new products and services to improve productivity, resilience and sustainability on farms. 

Projects funded through previous rounds include everything from robots picking tomatoes and using hoverflies as natural pest control in berry crops to a new vaccine being developed to protect pigs against Streptococcus suis, a common bacterial infection. The vaccine aims to prevent disease, improving animal health and welfare while reducing the need for antibiotics and supporting more sustainable pig production.  

Together, these innovations show how agri-tech funding can turn cutting-edge research into practical solutions to challenges faced by farmers, from labour shortages and animal health to crop protection and sustainability. 

Environment Secretary 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.

This latest round is part of the wider Farming Innovation Programme, with £123 million being invested in agricultural innovation this year following a £53 million boost announced in June. 

The funding supports the government’s commitment, set out in the Modern Industrial Strategy, to invest at least £200 million in agricultural innovation by 2030, backing rural growth, productivity and food security. 

Ahead of Back British Farming Day on Wednesday 9 September, the government continues to invest in homegrown agricultural innovation to solve real-world problems faced by farmers.

Today’s announcement comes as applications open for the £30 million Farmer Collaboration Fund, helping farmers and land managers work together to cut costs, share knowledge and build resilience. 

Notes to editors  

• The Farming Innovation Programme (FIP) is a government programme delivered in partnership with Innovate UK, supporting farmers, researchers and businesses to develop and test new technologies and solutions for the agriculture sector.  

• The Small R&D Partnerships (Round 5) grant is designed to support a small number of high-potential projects developing new products or services through collaborative research and development. Projects can receive between £1 million and £3 million and can run for up to three years. 
• Applications for the Farming Innovation Programme will open on 1 September. Further information on the funding available and how to apply can be found on the Farming Innovation Programme website.

Projects referenced include: 

• Vitrum: A project developing AI-powered robotic harvesters capable of picking tomatoes directly from the vine. The technology combines robotic arms, soft grippers and machine vision to help growers tackle seasonal labour shortages, increase domestic tomato production and reduce reliance on imports.  

• Novel Enhanced Streptococcus suis Vaccine for Pigs: A project developing a new vaccine to protect pigs against multiple strains of Streptococcus suis, one of the most common bacterial infections affecting pigs. The project aims to improve animal health and welfare by preventing disease, while reducing reliance on antibiotics and supporting more sustainable pig production. 

• FLYTHRIVE: A project exploring how hoverflies can be used as a natural form of pest control in berry production. Automated monitoring and natural attractants will encourage hoverflies to locate aphid colonies, with their larvae then feeding on the pests, providing a more targeted and sustainable alternative to chemical treatments.