Agri Tech and Food Tech Funding

Agri Tech and Food Tech Funding

The final round of the £7.5m Innovate UK Agri-Tech and Food Tech Launchpad for Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire opened on 23rd September.

The competitions give an opportunity for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) working in the region to apply for grants for R&D and innovation projects that focus on agri-tech, food tech, agri-biotech and aquaculture.

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with Norfolk County Council, Suffolk County Council, Greater Lincolnshire LEP and the Greater Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority to invest up to £2.5 million in innovation projects.

Two Competitions

The two competitions are split as follows:

  1. MFA (Minimal Financial Assistance): fully funded grant funding requests between £25,000 and £100,000 for projects lasting from six to 12 months
  2. CR&D (Collaborative Research & Development): funding requests between £150,000 and £300,000 for projects lasting from six to 18 months.

The competitions close at 11am on Wednesday 6th November. Applicants should be notified on Thursday 12th December.

To be eligible, businesses must be growing their innovation activities in the agri-tech and food tech cluster in Eastern England, and projects must contribute to growing innovation activities in the cluster, both during and after the project.

Focus

Projects can focus on one or more of the following:

  • enhancing the productivity of primary crops, the bioeconomy, livestock, aquaculture or ornamental plants
  • biotechnologies related to agriculture, food and nutrition
  • food that promotes safe, healthy and nutritious diets
  • resource-efficient production methods for low-emission foods

Sectors

This funding is available for the following sectors:

  • Agriculture
  • Horticulture
  • Agri-Tech
  • Agri-Biotech
  • Food Tech
  • Food Manufacturing & Processing (incl. seafood)
  • Aquaculture / Seaweed
Support

Businesses in Norfolk and Suffolk can also make use of the free to access Innovation Grant Mentoring Project, providing free bid writing support for Innovate UK applications.

For more information visit here: https://iuk.ktn-uk.org/programme/launchpads/.

For support or an informal call please contact local leads for the Launchpad (Norfolk – James Allen and Suffolk – Julie West).