The UK government has opened a £20 million funding competition to fast-track the development of agricultural robotics and automated farming systems, delivered through Defra and Innovate UK under the Farming Futures R&D fund. The Round 2 competition opened on 3 August 2026 with applications running through the Innovation Funding Service.
Broader scope than 2023 round
Unlike the previous automation round, the latest competition welcomes proposals beyond arable and horticultural crops. Eligible themes include livestock health monitoring, ornamental plant propagation and forestry — from tree nurseries and automated planting to woodland monitoring systems. The programme still targets classic pain points: reducing seasonal-labour dependence, boosting productivity and improving farm resilience.
How it fits in the £123M ag-innovation plan
The £20 million injection is part of a wider £53 million expansion of the Farming Innovation Programme, taking total agricultural research and technology funding available this year to £123 million. It sits inside the government's commitment to invest at least £200 million in agricultural innovation by 2030.
Beneficiaries already in the field
Cambridge-based Fieldwork Robotics — developer of the world's first autonomous raspberry-picking robot — has previously benefited from Defra and Innovate UK funding and continues to scale trials of its Fieldworker 1 platform. Roboscientific's DETECT project, which uses breath analysis for early bovine respiratory disease detection, is another example cited by government officials.
"Practical automation and robotics technologies help farmers, growers and foresters improve productivity, manage labour pressures and make everyday tasks more efficient," said Chris Danks, head of agrifood at Innovate UK. Farming Minister Stephen Morgan called the funding "a vote of confidence in British ingenuity" and a key step in the government's Farming Roadmap.
Reporting based on coverage from Open Access Government, GOV.UK and Defra Farming.