Funding provides opportunities for food and drink manufacturers to address both contemporary and future business challenges through the development of innovative solutions.

Funding bodies in the UK including Innovate UK, the KTN, and the research councils (such as BBSRC and the EPSRC), run several calls throughout the year which are in line with the UK’s Industrial Strategy. The FDF maintains close ties to these organisations and seeks to provide an understanding of what funding is available to its members.

The FDF has also established connections with researchers within academic institutions and businesses, which provide innovative solutions to various business challenges. The FDF can connect you with the right people to drive innovation through suggesting funding routes and collaboration partners for project consortia. Project support is also available to our members when funding applications are submitted.

Information on industry developments, funding and supported projects are updated on our site regularly. 

Updates & milestones

Call: ISCF Farming Innovation Pathways (Industrial Research)

Funding Climate change & net zero Environmental sustainability
Opened: 01/03/2021
Closes: 28/04/2021
Project costs: £250k-£750k
 
Eligibility and scope:
 
  • Your project must address livestock, plants, novel food production systems or the bioeconomy/agroforestry.
  • Although your project can be executed anywhere in the UK, your solution must generate benefits to the English farming sector.
  • Your innovative solution must be integrated into the sector with the potential to be widely adopted.
  • This competition is for collaborative industrial research only.
  • Your solution must solve the short or long-term challenges of productivity and sustainability (net zero emissions by 2040).

To lead a business must be a UK registered business of any size, collaborate with other UK registered businesses or RTOs. For further information please visit: https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/852/overview#eligibility

 

 

Call: ISCF Farming Innovation Pathways (Feasibility Studies)

Funding Climate change & net zero Environmental sustainability

Opened: 01/03/2021
Closes: 28/04/2021
Project costs: £75k-£250k

Eligibility and scope:
 
  • Your project must address livestock, plants, novel food production systems or the bioeconomy/agroforestry.
  • Although your project can be executed anywhere in the UK, your solution must generate benefits to the English farming sector.
  • Your project must last between 12 and 18 months.
  • Your project must explore the potential of early-stage, farm-focused solutions.
  • Your solution must address the short or long-term challenges of productivity and sustainability (net zero emissions by 2040).

To lead a business must be a UK registered business of any size, collaborate with other UK registered businesses or RTOs. For further information please visit: https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/853/overview#summary

 

Call: Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)

Funding
Opened: 08/02/2021
Closes: 14/04/2021
Project costs: Up to £75k per year for 12-36 months
 
Eligibility and scope:
 
A knowledge transfer adviser i.e. a UK registered higher or further education institution or Research Technology Organisation (Catapult) can apply for a share of a £6 million fund to collaborate with businesses on a project that tackles one or more challenges faced by the business partner. The business partner must be a UK registered business of any size and employ more than 2 employees. The business must be in a position to contribute financially to the project, to host an associate from the knowledge base and to supervise the associate. The knowledge adviser must submit the application.
 
If you have a business challenge which would benefit from a knowledge transfer arrangement and are looking for a knowledge transfer adviser, or if you would like more information on this programme please contact evangelia.thoukididou@fdf.org.uk. 

 

Call: Joint Programme Initiative- Addressing adverse and beneficial effects of food ingredients and food processing on hypersensitivities to food

Funding Allergy & intolerance Other manufacture
Opened: 02/02/2021
Closes: 08/04/2021
 
Eligibility and Scope:
  • Transnational projects of 3 to 6 partners from at least three different countries. No more than two eligible partners from the same country will be accepted in the same consortium.
  • Each consortium should be comprised of several different fields and sectors such as academic/clinical researchers and allied professions, industry and other relevant stakeholders.
  • Projects must focus on how food processing and food ingredients can modulate the occurrence of food allergies/intolerances, the development of new approaches to food processing to decrease food intolerance/food allergy or the development and/or validation of detection methods for adverse or beneficial food components generated through food processing.
  • A euro exchange rate is provided for EU applicants.

For more information visit https://www.healthydietforhealthylife.eu/index.php/call-activities/calls/110-calls-site-restyling/calls-era-hdhl-site-restyling/636-era-hdhl-2021?jjj=1614728140892

Call: Strategic Priorities Global Fund Food Security- Expression of Interest and Opportunities for Collaboration

Update
  • Call 1: £25M will support 5-year research grants of up to £6M. Multi-centre and interdisciplinary projects bring together the different parts of the food system and include business stakeholders.
  • Call 2: Transforming UK food systems for health and environment (£14M) will support 2-3 year research grants of between £250K and £2M. 
  • A Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT): £5M will deliver three cohorts of students and ensure coverage of different parts of the food system.

Expression of Interest stage of Call 2 is currently open, with a deadline of 22/04/2021. For more information click here. Three key areas will be addressed: Transforming Food Environments, Sustainable Nutrition and Domestic Production. Projects will be researcher-led but must include collaboration with a stakeholder such as a business. Researchers are expected to co-design projects with partners. If you have an idea you wish to share with a researcher, please sign up on the project’s Collaboration Finder.

For further information, please contact evangelia.thoukididou@fdf.org.uk

Call: Innovate UK Smart Grants

Update
Opened: 6th January 2021
Closes: 26th May 2021
Total project costs: £25,000-£2 million
 
Eligibility and scope:
 
  • You must be a UK-registered business or research and technology organisation. You must include at least one SME in you project or be an SME if you wish to work alone.
  • Your project can utilise any type of technology and be applied to any industry but must be disruptive.
  • You must be able to demonstrate strong deliverables with a clear plan to achieve ROI through commercialisation and growth.
  • The project must have a clear, considerable potential to impact the UK economy or productivity.
  • The following R&D project types will be considered: feasibility projects, industrial research projects, experimental development projects.
 

 

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