New Defra farmer-led innovation fund launching 28 April 2025

From 28 April 2025, farmers, growers, and foresters in England will be able to apply to the new ADOPT Fund – funded by Defra and delivered by Innovate UK – to trial and test practical solutions to real on-farm challenges. The ADOPT Fund is different from previous innovation funding. It’s farmer-led, but collaborative – bringing in others like advisers, researchers, tech providers and other like-minded farmers to help turn your idea into something ready to be adopted more widely in the agricultural community. 

Over the past 13 years, the Innovative Farmers programme has demonstrated the case for more agricultural R&D funding to support farmer-led research, so this new fund represents a significant step forward. Innovate Farmers is also part of the ADOPT Support Hub which is launching alongside the fund, which is free to use and provides the guidance, resources, and connections you need at every step.

There are two types of grant available:
• Support grants (up to £2,500): These help applicants explore their idea and work with a project facilitator to shape a strong proposal.
• Full grants (up to £100,000): To support farmer-led, collaborative research and innovation projects over 6 – 24 months.

Applications open Monday 28 April – apply via the Innovation Funding Service. Just search “ADOPT” and the live ADOPT competitions will come up. You can also prepare your idea and get help before you apply via the ADOPT Support Hub, available now.