Apply now for the latest ADOPT funding rounds

Credit: Yorkshire Crop Nutrition Club

Eligible applicants can now apply for funding through the latest rounds of the Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) Fund.

We know that trying something new on farm can involve time, cost and uncertainty.

ADOPT helps reduce that risk by funding practical, farmer-led on-farm trials and demonstrations that can be tested in real farming conditions and shared more widely.

It focuses on projects that build confidence in new ways of working, helping farmers improve productivity, resilience and sustainability.

Full ADOPT Grant

This grant is designed to support innovative, on-farm trials or experiments to test ideas or solutions and demonstrate that they will address major on-farm or immediate post-farmgate challenges or opportunities.

To support larger and more ambitious projects, we increased the maximum project size from the previous £100,000 to £200,000. As a result, your project’s total costs must be between £50,000 and £200,000.

You can apply now. The deadline to apply is Wednesday 7 October 2026 at 11am.

Read the guidance and apply for the Full ADOPT Grant.

The grant is now in its 9th round.

ADOPT Facilitator Support Grant

This grant provides a £2,500 grant for a farmer, grower or forester based in England to engage an external Project Facilitator to support with submissions into the Full ADOPT Grant competitions.

Project Facilitators can help applicants develop project ideas, shape proposals, build partnerships and identify the expertise needed to support a project.  You can apply now. The deadline to apply is Wednesday 30 September 2026 at 11am. Read the guidance and apply for the Facilitator Support Grant.

The grant is now in its 11th round.

Application support   ADOPT Support Hub 

The ADOPT Support Hub, delivered by ADAS, UK Agri-Tech Centre and the Soil Association, can provide support with your application.  

It can help you plan your project scope and connect you with relevant technical and industry expertise.

It also supports knowledge sharing between projects across the programme.  

ADOPT facilitators 

You can also get support from an ADOPT project facilitator, who can help manage your project, prepare reporting documents and keep delivery and communications on track.

The project facilitator directory can help you find someone with relevant regional and sector experience. 

Watch the webinar 

When the fund launched, Innovate UK delivered a webinar covering the application process.

Listen to the podcast 

If you'd like to hear how farmers are accessing ADOPT funding and trialling ideas on their farms, you can listen to our Defra Farming podcast.

In this episode, Thomas Slattery from the Support Hub speaks to Bryony Graham in Essex and Peter Southwell in East Yorkshire. 

Case study: Testing tools to improve fertiliser use 

Fertiliser is one of the biggest costs for arable farms. Applying too little can reduce yields, while applying too much adds unnecessary costs. 

Through ADOPT, farmers in Yorkshire have set up the Yorkshire Crop Nutrition Club to test whether new technologies can help improve fertiliser decisions on farm. 

The group is trialling a range of soil sensors, crop monitoring tools and digital technologies across their farms over two growing seasons. By testing these tools in real farming conditions, they aim to find out which approaches provide practical and reliable information that farmers can use. 

The farmers will share their findings openly through farmer meetings and peer-to-peer learning. This will help other farmers identify what works and what offers value for money. 

Improving nutrient management can help reduce input costs and support more productive farming businesses. It can also help lower environmental impacts, as nitrogen fertiliser contributes significantly to the carbon footprint of many arable crops, including wheat.

By improving the accuracy of fertiliser applications, the group hopes to support both farm profitability and long-term sustainability. 

Watch this video to learn more about the project. 

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ADOPT is part of the Farming Innovation Programme, delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. Competitions will run until November 2026.  

If you’d like to be notified when new information about funding is available, or for the latest updates from Defra's Farming and Countryside team, subscribe to the Farming Blog. 

https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/2026/08/20/apply-now-for-the-latest-adopt-funding-rounds/

seen at 14:42, 20 August in Farming.