Description

This funding opportunity, jointly funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), supports collaborative research and development (R&D) projects. The aim is to develop novel food products and innovations that contribute to healthy, sustainable, resilient diets for the UK population, strengthening the UK’s food system and addressing diet‑related health challenges.

Funding amount

• Total funding available: £3,000,000.
• Maximum award per project: Up to £800,000 full economic cost (FEC).
• Funding rate: 80% of FEC funded by UKRI (BBSRC and Defra).
• Industry partner contribution: Required 30% contribution (cash and/or in‑kind) from industry partners toward the total FEC.
• Projects can run up to 36 months and are expected to start by 31 October 2026.

Submission deadlines

This opportunity has two mandatory stages:

• Notification of Intent (NOI):
  Open: 3 February 2026 at 9:00am UK time
  Close: 3 March 2026 at 4:00pm UK time
  (Submission of an NOI is required to proceed to the full application stage.)
• Full application:
  Open: 17 March 2026 at 9:00am UK time
  Close: 7 May 2026 at 4:00pm UK time
  (Only applicants with an accepted NOI can submit a full application.)

Submission conditions

• Applicants must submit via the UKRI Funding Service; Je‑S submissions are not accepted.
• An industry partner is mandatory, with a required contribution of 30% of total eligible costs (cash and/or in‑kind).
• Projects must directly align with the funding scope and contribute to the Good Food Cycle vision.
• Proposals focused on pure market analysis, fundamental research with no clear industrial relevance, or standard services (like routine testing) will not be funded.
• All aspects of eligibility, costing, and application guidance per UKRI standards must be followed.

Eligible types of businesses / organisations

Lead applicants must be a UK research organisation eligible for BBSRC funding, such as:

• UK higher education institutions
• BBSRC Research Council Institutes
• UKRI approved independent research organisations
• Public sector research establishments
• NHS bodies with research capacity

Projects must include at least one industry partner that is UK‑based (registered at Companies House), has a relevant UK manufacturing or service base, and intends to exploit results in the UK.