Defra Farming Innovation Investor Partnership
Supports United Kingdom farming innovators through Defra public-private collaboration that strengthens practical innovation outcomes.
⚠This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.
The Defra Farming Innovation Investor Partnership 2026 is a £5,000,000 joint programme run by Innovate UK and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to co-fund the development of innovative farming solutions by UK agri-tech SMEs. The programme opened on 11 May 2026 at 9:30am UK time and closes on 17 June 2026 at 11:00am UK time. Its distinctive structure blends public grant funding with a mandatory private investment match, requiring applicants to secure private capital from designated investor partners of at least double the grant amount requested — meaning a £500,000 grant application requires at least £1,000,000 in committed private investment.
Only UK-registered micro, small, or medium-sized enterprises may apply. All project work must be conducted within the UK. Applications are single-entity only — consortium structures are not permitted. The investor match must come from designated investor partners identified in the programme guidance, not from the applicant's own existing shareholders. This blended-finance model is designed to increase the leverage of public grant money and demonstrate that a project has already attracted credible private sector backing.
Applicants must therefore secure their investor commitment before or during the application process, making early engagement with the Innovate UK investor partner list a practical prerequisite. The £5M public fund is modest relative to the agri-tech sector's scale, so competition will be strong. Organisations best positioned are SMEs with a commercially validated farming innovation concept, an existing relationship with an eligible investor partner, and the capacity to execute a fully UK-based project within the programme's timeline.
Innovative farming solutions aligned with matched private sector investment from designated investor partners.
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