Agri-tech and food technology, Eastern England – Round 2 MFA

Key Features

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £2.5 million for business led projects that grow their innovation activities in the agri-tech and food technology cluster in Eastern England. This funding is from Innovate UK.

Programme:     Innovate UK

Award:     Share of up to £2.5 million

Opens: 23rd Sep 2024

Closes: 6th Nov 2024

! This scheme is now closed

Overview

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

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with Norfolk County Council, Suffolk County Council, Greater Lincolnshire LEP and the Greater Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority to invest up to £2.5 million in innovation projects.

This funding is from Innovate UK’s Launchpad programme. The Launchpad programme supports the UK government’s goals for local economic growth.

The funding will support projects across two Launchpad competition strands that target the agri-tech and food technology innovation cluster in Eastern England.

Scope

Your project must contribute to growing your innovation activities in the cluster, both during and after the project. Your application may be considered ineligible if you do not describe this clearly. If you do not describe how your activities in the cluster will continue after your project then you are unlikely to be offered funding in this competition.

For this competition, Eastern England consists of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership area, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Norfolk and Suffolk.

The geographical requirement is set to align this competition to the UK Government’s goals for local economic growth.

Portfolio approach

Following an independent assessment, all applications scoring over 70% will be reviewed by a panel including Innovate UK and our local partners on this Launchpad. The panel will review the applications in line with the portfolio criteria, which will inform Innovate UK’s decision on the funding awards offered.

Innovate UK want to fund a variety of projects across different technologies, markets, technological maturities and research categories. Innovate UK call this a portfolio approach.

Innovate UK reserve the right to prioritise projects that:

  • have more innovation activity taking place in the innovation cluster or outside of the Greater South East
  • achieve a balance between the specific themes for this competition

Specific Themes

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

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

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

Eligibility

Your project must:

  • have a total grant funding request between £25,000 and £100,000
  • last between 6 and 12
  • carry out all of its project work in the UK
  • intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
  • not start before 1 April 2025
  • end by 30 June 2026

Projects must always start on the first of the month, even if this is a non-working day. You must not start your project until your Grant Offer Letter has been approved by Innovate UK. Any delays within Project Setup may mean we need to delay your project start date.

You must only include eligible project costs in your application. See our overview of eligible project costs. For specific guidance, see the eligibility section in this competition.

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

Lead organisation

To lead a project your organisation must:

  • be a UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
  • not have previously been awarded funding from the MFA Round 1 competition for this Eastern England Launchpad
  • be growing your innovation activities in the agri-tech and food technology cluster in Eastern England
  • have a demonstrable ambition for business growth

Subcontractors

Subcontractors are allowed in this competition.

Subcontractors can be from anywhere in the UK and you must select them through your usual procurement process.

Innovate UK expect all subcontractor costs to be justified and appropriate to the total eligible project costs. We will not accept a cheaper cost as a sufficient reason to use an overseas subcontractor.

Number of applications

A business can lead on only one MFA strand application for this competition. Any subsequent applications submitted by the same business will be ineligible and will not be forwarded for assessment.

You are not eligible to apply to this Round 2 MFA competition if you led a successful application to the Eastern England Launchpad Round 1 MFA competition.

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.

Sanctions

This competition will not fund you, or provide any financial benefit to any individual or entities directly or indirectly involved with you, which would expose Innovate UK or any direct or indirect beneficiary of funding from Innovate UK to UK Sanctions. For example, through any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any entity as lead, partner or subcontractor related to these countries, administrations and terrorist groups.

Use of animals in research and innovation

Innovate UK expects and supports the provision and safeguarding of welfare standards for animals used in research and innovation, according to best practice and up to date guidance.

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.

You can use a previously submitted application to apply for this competition.

Exclusions

Innovate UK are not funding projects that:

  • do not meet the competition eligibility or scope requirements
  • 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

Innovate UK 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
  • are not allowed under De minimis regulation restrictions
  • are not eligible to receive Minimal Financial Assistance
  • are dependent on export performance, for example, giving an award to a baker on the condition that they export a certain quantity of bread to another country
  • are dependent on domestic inputs usage, for example, if we give an award to a baker on the condition that they use 50% UK flour in their product

Funding Costs

Innovate UK have allocated up to £2.5 million to fund innovation projects, across the two strands of this Launchpad competition for Eastern England.

Funding will be in the form of a grant.

The total funding available for this Launchpad competition can change. The funders have the right to:

  • adjust the funding allocations between all Launchpad competitions and strands
  • apply a ‘portfolio’ approach

Your total project costs will be 100% funded, up to the maximum grant of £100,000. If your grant funding request exceeds £100,000 then your application will be made ineligible. Your project costs can be higher than your grant funding request.

You can make reference to any additional voluntary contribution in your application answers. It must not be detailed in the finance section.

Interested in applying for this competition?

Book an appointment to speak to one of our advisors to discuss your eligibility to apply for this Grant Funding opportunity.