Funding for automation and robotics in farming

Apply for a share of £12.5 million for developing innovative solutions for robotics and automation in agriculture and horticulture production

This Farming Futures competition, from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs' Farming Innovation Programme, aims to:

• help improve productivity on farms
• create more sustainable farming practices
• improve animal welfare and food quality through data collection

In the longer term, the competition looks to help reduce labour demands and input costs.

Applications are invited for:

• collaborative industrial research (£500,000 to £1 million over 36 to 48 months)
• experimental development projects (£750,000 to £1.5 million over 24 to 36 months)

Horticultural and arable crop production and all livestock are in scope of this funding competition, as are controlled environment and vertical farming systems.

Projects should address challenges where automation and robotic solutions will benefit food production systems through greater efficiency and resilience, and should demonstrate benefits to farmers and growers in England. Applications are open to all UK registered agri-tech businesses, farmers, growers and researchers.

First published 20 December 2022