Launchpad: agri-tech and food tech in Eastern England

To lead a project in the MFA strand, your organisation must:

• be a UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
• be active or growing your work activities in the agri-tech and food technology innovation cluster in Eastern England

A business can lead on only one MFA strand application for this competition.

To lead a project in the CR&D strand, your organisation must:

• be a UK registered business of any size
• be or involve at least one grant claiming micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
• collaborate with other UK registered organisations
• be active or growing your work activities in the agri-tech and food technology innovation cluster in Eastern England

Any UK registered organisation can collaborate in the CR&D strand, on any number of applications.

A business can lead on only one CR&D strand application for this competition, but can be included as a collaborator in any number of applications.

If you apply to the CR&D strand of this competition, as well as this MFA strand, each project must be clearly distinctive and separate. We will monitor closely for this separation if you are awarded funding in both competition strands.

For the MFA strand (single applicants), your project must:

• have a total grant funding request of between £25,000 and £100,000
• last between 6 and 12 months
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• start at the earliest on 1 April 2024
• end by 30 April 2025

You will be made ineligible if you exceed the Minimal Financial Assistance limit. You must submit a complete declaration as part of your application.

For the CR&D strand, your project must:

• be collaborative
• have a total grant funding request of between £150,000 and £300,000
• last between 6 and 18 months
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• start at the earliest on 1 April 2024
• end by 31 March 2026

The aim of this competition is to support outstanding innovation projects led by businesses. Your business must be active or growing work activities in the Agri-tech and food technology innovation cluster in Eastern England.

Eastern England is defined as the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership area, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Norfolk and Suffolk.

The geographical requirement is set to align this competition to the Government’s goals in the Levelling Up White Paper.

Your project must focus on one or more of the following:

• enhancing the productivity of primary crops, the bioeconomy, livestock, aquaculture or ornamental plants
• biotechnologies related to agriculture, food and nutrition
• food that promotes safe, healthy and nutritious diets
• resource efficient production methods for low emission foods

Your project must lead to increased investment into research and innovation. It must contribute to growing business activities and economic impact in the cluster.

Your proposal must explain how your team and project will contribute to equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) in the cluster.

In support of the Government’s Levelling Up goals, we reserve the right to prioritise projects that:

• are shorter in duration
• significantly advance innovation in agri-tech and food technology
• are led by businesses already based in the innovation cluster
• have greater levels of activity outside the Greater South East

Your project can focus on one or more of the following:

• sustainability in the context of environmental challenges such as climate change and resource scarcity
• protecting, maintaining or enhancing animal welfare within current UK regulatory standard
• nutritional composition, food manufacturing and processing, packaging, and safety
• minimising negative effects such as pollution, food loss and waste
• resilience and responsiveness in the supply chain, mitigating risks, interruptions or disruptions

This list is not exhaustive. Where you can show your proposal fits within the scope of this competition you can focus on other topics.

We are not funding projects that:

• do not contribute to innovation activity in the agri-tech and food technology cluster in Eastern England
• are aimed solely at equine markets
• involve wild caught fisheries
• involve primary production in fishery and aquaculture, or in agriculture; meaning the project must be undertaking research and development, the solution must be for exploitation by the wider business community and the funding cannot be used for capital asset acquisition
• have activities relating to the purchase of road freight transport

(Other exclusions may apply: see the links below for a complete list.)

Innovate UK held an online briefing on Friday 27 October: click here to watch the recording.

If you would like help to find a project partner, contact Innovate UK KTN’s Agrifood team.

In considering the eligibility of your proposal you are encouraged to review:

• Agri-food in Eastern England, An Investment Opportunity. This presents an ambitious growth agenda for the agri-food industry from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, the Greater Lincolnshire LEP and New Anglia LEP.
• The New Anglia Innovation Prospectus and Economic Strategy
• Greater Lincolnshire LEP’s UK Food Valley and other priorities and plans
• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Business Board’s strategies.

Further information about the cluster was provided in an online briefing on 27 October: click here to watch the recording