Farmers, growers and forestry businesses in England can receive professional help to prepare a stronger agricultural innovation funding application through the ADOPT Facilitator Support Grant Round 10.

The competition provides a fixed grant of £2,500 to help an eligible applicant engage an external Project Facilitator. The facilitator will support the business in developing and submitting an application to a Full ADOPT Grant competition.

Applications opened on 2 July 2026 and close at 11:00am UK time on 12 August 2026. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has allocated up to £100,000 to the round, which Innovate UK is delivering through the Farming Innovation Programme.

What Is the ADOPT Facilitator Support Grant?

ADOPT stands for Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies. The wider programme supports farmer-led trials and experiments that test new technologies, products or practices under genuine farm conditions.

The Facilitator Support Grant does not directly fund the agricultural trial itself. Instead, it pays for professional assistance to help an applicant prepare a competitive Full ADOPT Grant proposal.

A registered facilitator may help the farmer refine the proposed trial, identify suitable partners, design work packages, calculate costs and explain how the results could benefit other farmers, growers or foresters.

Applicants do not have to receive a Facilitator Support Grant before applying for a Full ADOPT Grant. However, the support route may be particularly useful for businesses that have limited experience with Innovate UK applications.

How Much Funding Is Available?

Every successful applicant receives £2,500, representing 100% of the eligible facilitator cost.

The grant operates on a reimbursement basis. The applicant must first work with the facilitator and submit the planned Full ADOPT Grant application for assessment. Within three months of receiving the Grant Offer Letter, the business must provide:

• The Full ADOPT Grant application number;
• Evidence that the application has reached assessment;
• The facilitator’s invoice for £2,500.

Payment is only made after this evidence and the claim have been approved. Businesses should therefore be able to pay or manage the facilitator cost before receiving reimbursement.

Who Can Apply?

The lead applicant must be an active commercial farming, growing or forestry business of any size based in England.

Eligible structures include established companies, sole traders and partnerships. The applicant must also have a UK bank account and be able to demonstrate that it is operating as a genuine commercial business.

Charities, Community Interest Companies and organisations without a profit-driven commercial focus cannot participate. The competition is open to single applicants only rather than consortium applications.

Each farmer, grower or forester can submit one application per competition round and receive no more than two Facilitator Support Grants across the programme.

Project Facilitator Requirements

Applicants must identify an external Project Facilitator who is registered in the Innovate UK Business Connect Project Facilitator database.

The facilitator’s name must appear in the finance section under “other costs,” with the total project cost entered as £2,500. The facilitator’s relevant skills and experience must also be described in the application.

Subcontractors are not permitted under this competition. The registered facilitator is the only eligible external professional covered by the support grant.

What Type of Full Project Should You Develop?

The future Full ADOPT project must involve an on-farm trial or experiment that tests an innovative idea under real operating conditions.

It should address an important on-farm or immediate post-farmgate challenge and offer measurable improvements in areas such as productivity, resilience, sustainability or progress towards net-zero emissions.

Applicants should clearly explain:

• The problem affecting their business and other farms;
• The proposed idea or solution;
• Why it improves on existing practices;
• How it will be tested;
• The resources and partners required;
• How other farmers could adopt the results.

Projects focused on areas such as equine systems, cultivated meat, wild-caught fisheries and certain aquaculture or food-fermentation systems are outside the competition’s scope.

Important Dates

The competition closes on 12 August 2026 at 11:00am UK time. Applicants are expected to receive decisions on 11 September 2026, and successful support projects should begin by 1 November 2026.

The related Full ADOPT Grant Round 9 is scheduled to open on 30 July 2026. Applicants should coordinate carefully with their facilitator so the full proposal is completed within the required funding and claims period.

Official Application Link

Start an ADOPT Facilitator Support Grant Round 10 application

Applicants should confirm that their facilitator is registered before beginning the submission.