Farming Futures R&D - precision breeding consortium building

About the event

Are you a business, research organisation, farmer, or grower looking to apply for funding to support your precision breeding innovation? This in-person event is designed to connect potential applicants, facilitate collaboration, and provide valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with precision breeding of arable and horticultural crops.

A total of up to £12.5m of funding will be provided to support projects focusing on the use of precision breeding techniques e.g. gene editing, silencing etc. Individual projects (£1m-£2.5m) should carry out collaborative industrial research that initiates changes in agricultural or horticultural crops in line with the competition scope.

This competition will fund research in precision breeding, a technology that has the potential to transform the plant breeding sector in England. Precision breeding enables the commercialisation of new crops in years, rather than decades. These crops can be more nutritious; resistant to pests and diseases; resilient to climate change; and more beneficial to the environment. Ultimately, this research could reduce the need for pesticides, increase food production and lower costs for farmers.

Competition guidance is now available online here. The competition opened on 5 May 2025 and will close on 25 June 2025. Click here for full details of the funding available.

During the event, you will:

• Benefit from valuable business support from Innovate UK Business Connect. Read the following AgriFood case studies to discover how Innovate UK Business Connect has supported several organisations across the innovation ecosystem including ARRevolution’s crop farming robot technology development, Dunbia’s innovative low carbon beef solutions and SPG Innovation’s plant-based protein innovations.
• Learn more about the Farming Futures R&D – Precision Breeding funding opportunity, part of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme, delivered by Innovate UK.
• Gain insights into regulatory updates, including Defra’s secondary legislation framework and perspectives from the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
• Hear about the Intellectual Property (IP) challenges and concerns associated with precision breeding of crops, including regulatory considerations, breeders’ rights, and insights from IP experts.
• Hear lessons learned from key stakeholders such as the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN), Bovaer, and others.
• Network with industry innovators and connect with those working on similar themes.
• Meet potential partners and explore new project ideas.

Who is this event for?

This event is ideal for researchers and businesses delivering precision breeding projects in the horticulture and arable sectors.