What is ADOPT?
ADOPT stands for Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies. Its principal aim is to provide farmer-led collaborative projects focusing on farm businesses trialling new technology and practices on farm.
The focus behind the competition is to allow for productivity increases by encouraging farmer engagement with new and novel solutions which could have considerable benefits to farmers.
This could be through improved data recording and utilisation, or through the adoption of the latest technological advancements such as artificial intelligence and automation. It can also include adopting different approaches to soil, nutrient or water management on farm.
The competition programme has a total budget of 拢20.6 million available, with 拢2 million available in round one alone. Details on rounds 1 and 2 are available online.聽
The deadlines are:
- Round 1
- Opens: 28 April 2025
- Closes: 26 June 2025
- Round 2
- Opens: 26 June 2025
- Closes: Awaiting confirmation
Facilitator support role and grant offer
Alongside the main competition there is also an additional facilitator support offer. Acknowledging that many farmers may not have engaged with research funding in the past, the offer has been designed to include a dedicated project manager and general support role to be provided by an experienced third party.
While there is a current list of available facilitators who have successfully applied to Innovate UK, farmers who know somebody who is experienced in dealing with grant funding and working in a facilitator role are able to apply and be included in a list containing all of the available facilitators which will be managed online as the competition progresses through its various rounds.
Additionally, there may be members who are experienced in this and may wish to consider nominating themselves as a facilitator to support other farmers locally in pursuing an application to collaborate with one another.
Potential project ideas
While the scope of the ADOPT project is wide ranging, projects will be eligible to apply so long as they contribute to the underlying principles of the competition.
These principles allow for applications on any topic so long as they have the potential to deliver improvements for English farmers, growers or foresters for:
- Productivity.
- Resilience.
- Sustainability and progression towards net zero farming.
An open-ended scope can be intimidating for to approach. Acknowledging this, ADAS has a for a connections hub which allows you to read through existing collaboration requests to engage in research proposals which may be of interest.
It is recommended that applicants considering joining a competition view the FarmPEP website as a starting point for understanding the types of opportunities available for collaboration across various agricultural sectors.
For those who already have an idea for a project, then the connections hub is a great starting point to promote the opportunity and engage with interested collaborators.
Project costs and rules
Projects must cost between 拢50,000 and 拢100,000 and there is a separate fund for supporting facilitators.
Projects are required to last between 6 and 24 months, but they must begin by 1 November 2025 and finish by 31 October 2027.
Projects must intend to utilise their findings to benefit the results of their project in England. However farmers from Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland can engage with the competition as long as at least 50% of applicants are operating in England. There is no limitation on where facilitators can be based, however the benefits of the data collected from these projects must benefit farmers in England.
All work relating to the project must be undertaken within the UK, and one of the fundamental expectations of the competition is that collaborators must embrace open innovation principles and be willing to share their results to benefit the industry more widely.
Finally, all projects must have a registered project facilitator who is registered with the ADOPT Innovate UK business connect database.
Project facilitators
Unlike some other grants, where a farming business usually organises all of the application and manages compliance with the grant agreement, the major difference for the ADOPT competition is the fact that there is provision for a dedicated project facilitator, who operate as project managers as well as a number of other roles to support collaborators throughout the project鈥檚 duration.
Project facilitators serve as a project manager for the duration of the project, easing the administrative burden of the management side of the project, as a part of this they can also engage with the documentation process.
They can also support the project more widely, managing communication and ensuring the project remains on track for those involved, allowing them to focus on utilising the project鈥檚 particular advancements.
Project facilitators can also provide their expertise in managing competitions and utilise the previous experience they have and, as a part of the application process, to be considered they must have had worked previously within a facilitator context.
A wealth of facilitators are currently available on the ADOPT hub, and new facilitators can apply through the FarmPEP website to register and become an ADOPT registered project facilitator.
Further resources
Given the scope of the ADOPT offer, a wealth of information is available from a number of different sources.
As the main starting point, the covers the introductory information to the scheme and allows you to register your interest and consider the available opportunities for collaboration, as well as relevant guidance materials and case studies.
There is also the . There is a dedicated document covering all of the available facilitators and their contact details. This page also outlines the type of support the facilitators can provide, as well as allowing individuals to apply to join the facilitator directory as an approved project facilitator.
The information for the application portal is the Innovate UK website, which covers the basic information for the competition and outlines the timelines for each round of the competition. It also has key links to the application window for each round of the competition.
