Farmers in England can now apply for support to test new ideas in real commercial conditions through Round 10 of the Full ADOPT Grant.
The competition opened on 8 October 2026 and closes at 11am on 2 December 2026. Defra has allocated up to £5 million, delivered with Innovate UK, for collaborative on-farm trials and experiments. Eligible projects must have total costs between £50,000 and £200,000, last between six and 24 months, start by 1 April 2027 and finish by 31 March 2029.
This is not a general machinery-replacement or farm-improvement grant. The proposed idea or solution must be new, or not yet widely used, and the trial must be capable of improving productivity, resilience or sustainability while producing useful learning for other English farmers, growers or foresters.
The following checks can help decide whether an idea is ready for an application—and expose gaps while there is still time to address them.
1. Confirm that the lead and project are eligible
The lead must be an active farming, growing or forestry business of any size based in England. Sole traders and partnerships can qualify, but the applicant must be able to demonstrate that it is an established commercial business and has an eligible UK bank account.
The project must involve at least one other active farming, growing or forestry business based in the UK. At least two organisations must request funding, and no single organisation can claim more than 70% of the project’s total costs.
Check the full competition brief rather than relying on a news summary. An otherwise promising idea can fail the eligibility test if the collaboration or lead arrangement is wrong.
2. Define one specific on-farm problem
A strong project begins with an observable problem, not with a product looking for somewhere to be trialled.
Describe what currently happens, who it affects and what it costs in time, yield, inputs, labour, downtime, quality or risk. Establish a baseline using existing farm records wherever possible. Then state exactly what will be tested and why it could perform better than current practice.
“Can this sensor reduce unnecessary irrigation without lowering marketable yield on our soil type?” is more useful than “Can technology improve water use?” A defined question makes it easier to choose measurements, calculate costs and explain the wider benefit.
3. Build a team that adds evidence, not names
The compulsory second farming partner should contribute more than a supporting letter. A useful collaboration might provide a contrasting soil type, enterprise, climate, scale or operating system, allowing the team to test whether results travel beyond one holding.
Other eligible collaborators can include UK businesses, academic institutions, charities, public-sector bodies and research or technology organisations. Subcontractors are allowed where their costs and role are justified.
Agree responsibilities before drafting. Identify who will manage plots or livestock groups, operate machinery, collect data, analyse results, control the budget and produce material for other farmers. Confirm that each partner has enough time and that the farm remains at the centre of the decision-making.
4. Design a trial capable of answering the question
The application asks how the idea will be tested, how the design will be made robust and how data will be captured for meaningful analysis.
Define the comparison: current practice against the proposed solution, or two clearly controlled treatments. Decide the number of sites, plots, repetitions or animals required, and identify factors that could distort the result. Weather, soil variation, operator technique, crop variety, previous treatment and machine settings may all matter depending on the project.
Choose measurements before work begins. These might include yield, input use, labour hours, fuel or electricity, breakdowns, soil results, animal performance, product quality or cost per hectare. State who records each measure, how often and in what format.
If the trial involves machinery or shared cabs, include operator training, pre-use checks, condition records and a clear method for collecting feedback.
5. Build a realistic cost and cash-flow plan
Farming, growing and forestry businesses in England, Wales or Scotland can receive up to 80% of eligible industrial-research costs. Other organisation types and sizes may receive lower rates. The grant therefore may not cover the full project, and each funded organisation must finance the balance of its eligible costs.
Defra’s guidance says eligible expenditure can include farmer and staff time, tractor and machinery use, fuel, maintenance, materials, specialist expertise, subcontractors, data collection, analysis and eligible use of equipment or capital assets.
Price the actual trial rather than working backwards from the maximum grant. Allocate costs to the partner that will incur them, check the evidence needed for claims and model when money will leave and enter the business. Include time for meetings, data cleaning and knowledge exchange—not just the fieldwork.
6. Resolve permissions and practical constraints early
Projects must have the necessary permits and licences by their start date. Depending on the idea, that could involve environmental permissions, animal-welfare requirements, product approvals, planning, data protection or access agreements.
Check whether the proposed start date matches the farming calendar. A project that must start by 1 April 2027 still needs suitable land, livestock, equipment, contractors and trained staff at the right point in the season.
Identify practical failure points now: late equipment, unsuitable weather, a partner withdrawing, lost sensor data or a treatment that cannot continue. A credible plan explains how the team will protect data quality, welfare and safety if conditions change.
7. Plan how other farmers will use the result
ADOPT is intended to accelerate adoption, not produce a private answer for one business. The application must show how results will be communicated during and after the project.
Choose outputs that suit the audience: demonstration days, costed case studies, short videos, technical reports, data summaries or practical setup guides. Include unsuccessful findings. Knowing that an idea did not work under defined conditions can prevent other businesses repeating an expensive mistake.
The ADOPT Support Hub is running a webinar from 11am to 12.30pm on 22 October 2026 covering current rounds, eligibility, strong applications and project facilitators. Using that session early leaves time to revise the team and design before the 2 December deadline.
Turn the idea into an application decision
Before committing, ask whether the project can answer four questions clearly:
- What practical problem affects this farm and others?
- What new or underused solution will be tested?
- What evidence will show whether it works?
- How will other farmers use the result?
If any answer is vague, improve the project before writing more application copy. ADOPT funding can reduce the risk of testing an innovation, but the competition remains selective and even a strong proposal is not guaranteed support.
The best starting point is a measurable problem, a committed farming partner and a trial small enough to control but useful enough to influence a real business decision.
This article provides general information and does not replace the official competition brief, funding rules, legal or financial advice, or confirmation from Innovate UK.
Sources
GOV.UK Find a Grant: Full ADOPT Grant, Round 10 — opened 8 October 2026
Innovate UK Innovation Funding Service: Full ADOPT Grant, Round 10 — opened 8 October 2026
Defra Farming Blog: How ADOPT funding can support your farm business — 8 October 2026
Farming Innovation Programme: ADOPT — current programme guidance, accessed 9 October 2026
