Overall Description

The ADOPT Facilitator Support Grant: Round 12 provides funding for farming, growing and forestry businesses in England to engage an external Project Facilitator. The facilitator helps the applicant develop and submit a competitive application to a Full ADOPT Grant competition for an on-farm trial or experiment.

The support grant forms part of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme and is delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.

Funding Amount

• Grant per successful applicant: £2,500
• Funding rate: 100% of eligible Project Facilitator costs
• Total competition budget: Up to £100,000

Payment is made after the applicant submits evidence that the Full ADOPT Grant application has entered assessment and provides the Project Facilitator’s invoice for £2,500. Funding is competitive and subject to the availability of sufficient high-quality applications.

Submission Deadlines

• Competition opened: 1 October 2026
• Application deadline: 11 November 2026 at 11:00 UK time
• Applicants notified: 7 December 2026
• Project start deadline: 1 February 2027
• Project duration: Three months

Submission Conditions

• Applications must be submitted through the Innovation Funding Service.
• The applicant must engage an external Project Facilitator registered in the Innovate UK Business Connect database.
• The applicant and facilitator must develop and submit an eligible Full ADOPT Grant application.
• The facilitator’s name and the full £2,500 cost must be entered under “other costs” in the application finances.
• The applicant must have a UK bank account.
• The Full ADOPT proposal must concern an on-farm or immediate post-farmgate trial of an idea or solution that is new or not widely used.
• The proposal must benefit farmers, growers or foresters in England.
• The applicant must submit evidence that the Full ADOPT application entered assessment and make its claim within three months of receiving the Grant Offer Letter.
• Subcontractors are not permitted.
• Applicants may submit only one application in each competition round.
• An applicant may receive no more than two Facilitator Support Grants across all rounds.
• Previously assessed proposals may be resubmitted once, provided they are materially the same.
• Applicants must comply with UK subsidy-control, sanctions, animal-welfare, licensing and relevant regulatory requirements.
• Organisations in financial difficulty or with outstanding compliance issues relating to previous Innovate UK funding may be refused funding.

Eligible Types of Applicants

Eligible applicants are established, commercially active businesses of any size operating in:

• Farming
• Growing
• Forestry

This includes:

• Sole traders
• Partnerships
• Registered commercial businesses

The business must be based in England and able to demonstrate established commercial activity. Charities, Community Interest Companies and other organisations without a profit-driven commercial focus are not eligible to lead or participate.

Eligible Countries

• United Kingdom – England.
• The farming, growing or forestry business must be based in England. The proposed Full ADOPT project must demonstrate benefits for farmers, growers or foresters in England.