The government has opened a new £13m competition to help bring agricultural innovations from the lab to the farm.
Unveiled by environment secretary Dame Angela Eagle, the latest round of the Farming Innovation Programme will award grants of between £1m and £3m to a small number of high-potential projects.
Delivered with Innovate UK, the funding will support researchers, farmers and agri-tech businesses developing products and services aimed at improving farm productivity, resilience and sustainability.
Previous projects backed by the programme include AI-powered robots designed to harvest tomatoes, hoverflies being used as a natural pest control for berry crops, and a vaccine to protect pigs against Streptococcus suis, a common bacterial infection.
The government said the projects demonstrate how agricultural innovation can address challenges including labour shortages, animal health, crop protection and sustainability.
“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,” said environment secretary Dame Angela Eagle.
“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.
Innovate UK head of agrifood Chris Danks added: “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.”
The latest competition forms part of the wider Farming Innovation Programme, with £123m being invested in agricultural innovation this year following a £53m funding boost announced in June.
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