What is ADOPT?
ADOPT (Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies) helps farmers test new ideas on their own farms, with support to reduce risk and share learning.
Its principal aim is to support farmer-led collaborative projects focusing on farm businesses trialling new technology and practices on farm.
It sits within Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme and is delivered by Innovate UK, making innovation practical and accessible for farmers.
Technologies could include improved data recording and utilisation, or 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.
Projects are practical and farmer‑led, supported by a facilitator who helps shape the trial and handles the admin.
The competition programme has a total budget of £20.6 million available.
Who can apply to ADOPT?
Your project checklist:
- You must apply as a group (not a single farm) – ADOPT projects must involve a group of farmers or growers. This can be as few as two farms. A facilitator can help form the group and support the project.
- You need a clear idea to test on farm – It doesn’t have to be fully developed. You just need a practical question you want to answer, such as:
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- “Will this work on my farm?”
- “Can this reduce costs or labour?”
- “Does this improve resilience or sustainability?”
- You need a facilitator – A facilitator is required for every ADOPT project. They help shape the idea, coordinate the group and handle the admin.
- Your project must fit ADOPT’s purpose – It must be about testing a practice or technology on farm that could improve:
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- productivity
- resilience
- sustainability
- cost efficiency
- labour efficiency
- environmental performance
- Your project must be farmer‑led – Farmers must be at the centre of the idea and the trial. Researchers and advisers can be involved, but the project must be driven by the farmer group.
- You must be able to share learning – ADOPT requires groups to share what they learn, not commercially sensitive data, but practical insights that help others.
- You must meet the funding rules – This includes:
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- eligible costs
- eligible activities
- project length
- reporting requirements
- Innovate UK compliance
Facilitator support
Facilitators help you turn an idea into a practical on‑farm trial. They guide your group, keep things organised and take on most of the admin so the process feels manageable.
A facilitator can help you:
- shape and refine your project idea
- bring the group together and coordinate activity
- manage paperwork and reporting
- keep the project on track.
Why this matters: Facilitator can help you make ADOPT workable, they reduce the time needed to be spent on forms and help the group stay focused.
Facilitator directory: Look for someone who understands your sector, has experience supporting farmer groups and can commit time during the project.
Thinking of becoming one?: Agronomists, advisers and consultants often take on this role. Project coordination and communication skills are useful.
Potential project ideas
ADOPT is flexible, you can test any idea that could improve productivity, resilience or sustainability on your farm.
If you’re looking for inspiration or collaborators, the FarmPEP Connections Hub is a good place to start. You can browse existing ideas, see what others want to test, or post your own.
It’s a useful way to see what’s happening across different sectors and find people interested in similar trials.
ADOPT in action – farmer stories
Project costs and rules
- Project cost: total eligible project costs must be between £50,000 and £100,000.
- Project length: 6–24 months, starting within the competition’s timeframe.
- Location: at least 50% of the group must be farming in England; facilitators can be based anywhere in the UK.
- Benefit: project findings must benefit English farmers.
- Where work happens: all project activity must take place in the UK.
- Sharing results: groups must be willing to share learning so the wider industry benefits.
- Facilitator requirement: every project must include a registered facilitator listed on the Innovate UK Business Connect ADOPT directory.
Further resources
Given the scope of the ADOPT offer, a wealth of information is available from a number of different sources.
- Defra – find out about farming innovation funding.
- Innovate UK – the UK's innovation agency backs the nation's most promising deep tech businesses in the UK’s priority sectors.
- Innovate business connect – holds the facilitator database.
- ADOPT Support Hub consortium of UK Agri-Tech Centre – connecting the UK’s growing AgriFood industry with industrial collaborators and research-based expertise.
