Healthy Soils and Water for a Sustainable Environment (Defra Farming Innovation Programme)
Defra Farming Innovation Programme, delivered by Innovate UK
Worth
Up to £3,500,000
Deadline
Opens 19 November 2026
Type of funding
Grant
Where
UK-wide
What it is
A collaborative R&D grant for commercially deployable solutions to soil, water and environmental management in farming and growing, led by an established UK business (sole traders and partnerships included) with at least one other organisation that also claims funding. Projects cost £1 million to £5 million in total, with grants covering up to 70% of costs for small firms.
Checked 9 Nov 2026 on the Innovation Funding Service: opens 19 November 2026 and closes at 11am on 28 January 2027. Projects cost £1 million to £5 million in total, and the grant (up to 70% of costs) is for the whole project team: at least one other organisation must also claim funding, and the solution must benefit farmers, growers or foresters in England.
Official sourceWho can apply
A summary of the main rules, not the full list. Defra Farming Innovation Programme, delivered by Innovate UK decides who is eligible, so read their guidance before you apply. The free scan checks these against your own business.
- UK registered organisation doing the project work in the UK
- An established commercial business (sole traders and partnerships can lead)
- You have an R&D or innovation project
- A farming, agri-tech, technology, life sciences or manufacturing business
- You develop soil, water or environmental-management solutions for farming, and will apply with at least one other organisation that also claims funding
Common questions
- Is Healthy Soils and Water for a Sustainable Environment (Defra Farming Innovation Programme) open for applications?
- Not yet. It has been announced and is due to open on 19 November 2026, closing on 28 January 2027.
- How much is Healthy Soils and Water for a Sustainable Environment (Defra Farming Innovation Programme) worth?
- Up to £3,500,000. It is a grant, and the funder decides what each applicant receives.
- Who runs Healthy Soils and Water for a Sustainable Environment (Defra Farming Innovation Programme), and where is it available?
- Defra Farming Innovation Programme, delivered by Innovate UK runs it. It is available across the UK.
Does your business qualify?
Eligibility rules are where schemes get fiddly. Gov Owed checks your business against Healthy Soils and Water for a Sustainable Environment (Defra Farming Innovation Programme) — and every other UK scheme we track — in about two minutes, free. The £19.95 report then explains exactly why you qualify, drafts your answers and walks you through the real application step by step.
Check my businessNo sign-up to scan · keep 100% of anything you win · re-runs free for 12 months
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Information, not financial advice; eligibility is decided by the funder. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Schemes change — confirm details on the official page before applying.