New Innovators in agri-tech & food technology, Mid & North Wales

To lead a project your organisation must be a UK registered micro or small business.

If your business has been funded directly by Innovate UK previously, you are not eligible to be offered funding through this competition.

If you have only received funding directly from Innovate UK Business Growth (previously named Innovate UK EDGE) or a Catapult scheme, you are eligible to apply for this competition.

Businesses with directors who have previously received a grant or Innovation Loan from Innovate UK as part of a different company, are eligible to apply but will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

A business with a previous award to a parent or subsidiary would also be eligible to apply, but the parent company must be classified as a micro or small business. Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

An eligible UK business can submit one application only. This limit extends to current owners, directors and persons of significant interest, prohibiting them from leading multiple submissions through different entities.

Your project must:

• have a grant funding request between £25,000 and £50,000
• have total project costs that equal your grant funding request
• last between three and six months in duration
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• help to grow your innovation activities during and after the project in the innovation cluster described in the Scope section
• start between 1 November 2024 and 1 February 2025
• end by 30 April 2025

Applicants must ensure that all of the proposed work within projects, both that in the UK and internationally, will comply with the UKRI guidance on the use of animals in research and innovation. Any projects selected for funding which involve animals will be asked to provide additional information on welfare and ethical considerations, as well as compliance with any relevant legislation as part of the project start-up process. This information will be reviewed before an award is made.

The aim of this competition is to provide a package of targeted support to enable ambitious UK registered micro and small businesses to develop highly innovative ideas that have a clear route to commercialisation and business growth.

Your project must use the funding to help to grow your innovation activities in the agri-tech and food technology cluster in Mid and North Wales, both during and after the project.

For this competition, Mid and North Wales comprises of Ceredigion, Powys Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham.

Your innovation can lead to new products, processes or services that are significantly ahead of others currently available, or propose an innovative use of existing products, processes or services. It can also involve a new or innovative business model.

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

• significantly advance innovation (the idea)
• have more innovation activity taking place within the innovation cluster or outside of the Greater South East
• achieve a balance between the specific themes for this competition

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

Productivity or nutritional content:

• enhancing yields and other aspects of productivity of primary crops and feedstocks, livestock or aquaculture
• resource efficiency, including novel approaches for precision farming, circular economy or biotechnologies
• enhancing the nutritional content of produce

Food processing or markets:

• novel foods that promote safe, healthy and nutritious diets
• food manufacturing and processing, packaging, and safety
• adapting produce to create new market opportunities
• supply chain resilience and responsiveness; mitigating risks, interruptions or disruptions

Sustainability or biodiversity:

• livestock health
• approaches that reduce emissions, food loss and waste
• regenerative approaches that could lower biodiversity loss or mitigate against resource scarcity.

This list is not exhaustive. Where you can show your proposal fits within the scope of this competition you can focus on other themes. We would expect any innovations involving livestock would have animal welfare considerations in line with current UK regulatory standards.

We cannot fund projects that:

• involve primary production in fishery and aquaculture
• involve primary production in agriculture
• have activities relating to the purchase of road freight transport

If you are unsure whether your project may be eligible, contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s agrifood team.

An online briefing event will be held at 2pm on Thursday 20 June: register for a place.

If you have queries about your eligibility or other aspects, you are welcome to contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s agrifood team or our Place team.