Launchpad: agri-tech and food technology, Mid & North Wales – MFA

Your business must:

• be a UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
• be growing your innovation activities in the agri-tech and food technology cluster in Mid and North Wales
• have a demonstrable ambition for business growth

A business can lead on only one application for 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.

Your project must:

• have a total grant funding request between £25,000 and £100,000
• last between 6 and 12 months
• 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

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.

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 support outstanding innovation projects led by businesses. Your business must be growing your innovation activities in the agri-tech and food technology cluster in Mid and North Wales. For this competition, Mid and North Wales consists of Ceredigion, Powys, Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham.

Your project must focus on innovation in agri-tech or food technology.

Your project must contribute to growing your innovation activities in the cluster, both during and after your project.

This could be demonstrated by:

• your local innovation activities
• the value that your innovation activities create in the cluster
• your engagement with other innovation active organisations in the cluster, such as with this Launchpad’s cluster management organisation

Any projects involving livestock must have animal welfare considerations at least in line with current UK regulatory standards.

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, excluding biochar
• 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.

Innovate UK have produced a pre-recorded briefing covering Investor Partnerships, CR&D and MFA for all the competitions running in late 2025: click here to watch the recording. They have also supplied briefing slides which can be downloaded here.

In addition, Innovate UK Business Connect will host an online briefing event on Thursday 14 November, 1pm-2.15pm: click here to register for a place. This will start with a plenary overview of the Launchpad programme, alongside information on how to apply to the competitions. Breakout rooms will then follow for each of the seven Launchpads and their respective competitions where delegates will be briefed on the key areas of interest for each cluster.

For further assistance, you are also welcome to contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s agrifood team.