Food & Drink Innovation grants
Innovate UK, Defra and BBSRC funding for food, drink and agrifood technology
Food and drink is one of the UK's largest manufacturing sectors and one of the most active for public R&D funding. Innovate UK, Defra and BBSRC support everything from alternative proteins and precision fermentation to sustainable packaging and food safety, as long as the project addresses a genuine technical or production innovation. Funding is for R&D, such as new recipes, ingredients, processing methods or packaging, rather than routine equipment purchases, marketing or running costs, and most calls expect match funding.
Funders funding food & drink innovation
- Defra
- BBSRC
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Programmes that fit food & drink innovation companies
Innovate UK agrifood and food production competitions
Funding for new food products, manufacturing processes and productivity or sustainability improvements, when a relevant round is open.
Defra Farming Innovation Programme
Research and innovation that benefits UK farmers and food producers.
Horizon Europe Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources
Collaborative EU research on sustainable food systems and bioeconomy.
What assessors actually score
- Food safety, shelf life or production benefit stated in measurable terms
- Sustainability and resource efficiency backed by lifecycle thinking
- Producer, retailer or consumer pull evidenced by letters or partnerships
Where we work in food & drink innovation
Food & Drink Innovation grants in our directory
Live programmes from the UK grant directory that suit food & drink innovation projects. Deadlines move between rounds, so each listing links through to the current detail.
Innovate UK
[IUK] ADOPT Facilitator Support Grant: Round 12
Defra Farming Innovation Programme grant of £2,500 for an English farming, growing or forestry business to engage an external Project Facilitator to develop a Full ADOPT Grant application (agriculture, horticulture, agro-forestry). Up to £100,000 available. Opens 1 October 2026, closes 11 November 2026 11:00am.
Horizon Europe
[HORIZON - Agriculture] African Union – European Union Partnership on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FN…
Expected to open. Due to the scope of this topic, legal entities established in all African Union member states* are exceptionally eligible for Union funding. * "African Union member states" includes countries whose membership has been temporarily suspended. International organisations with headquarters in a Member State or Associated Country are exceptionally eligible for funding.
Horizon Europe
[Horizon - Food & Bioeconomy] Circular systemic solutions via living labs in cities & regions (two-stage, CCRI)
Expected to open. Consortium; UK eligible; SMEs as partners
Horizon Europe
[Horizon - Food & Bioeconomy] Enhancing ecodesign and circularity of consumer electronics
Expected to open. Consortium; UK eligible (Assoc. Country); SMEs as partners
Horizon Europe
[Horizon - Food & Bioeconomy] Europe-wide environmental benchmarking of industrial bioeconomy sectors
Expected to open. Consortium; UK eligible (Assoc. Country); SMEs as partners
Horizon Europe
[Horizon - Food & Bioeconomy] Increasing circularity of bio-based sector: upcycling & recycling
Expected to open. Consortium; UK eligible (Assoc. Country); SMEs as partners
Pair your grant with R&D tax credits
R&D tax relief can recover part of the match funding a grant asks you to cover. Our R&D tax credit specialists plan both together. Use the R&D tax relief calculator to see what your spend could return, or read accountant vs R&D tax specialist.
Fund your food & drink innovation R&D
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