The Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) fund offers grants to farmers and growers to trial new technology or practices on-site. The intention is to speed up development and adoption of new solutions to industry challenges.
Round 6 of the grant opened in early February and will close on 8 April 2026, with Round 7 opening for applications the following day.
Round 6 changes
Previous rounds of funding offered a share of a £2 million pot to applicants, with each application eligible to claim up to 80% funding for projects worth up to £100,000. However, the latest round of funding has seen this value increase to £5 million, a marked difference to previous rounds.
The full ADOPT fund worth £20 million was expected to be allocated across 10 equal rounds of grant funding, each worth £2 million (with up to 20 successful applicants per round). The increase to £5 million for Round 6 suggests that rounds 6 and 7 will be the final rounds to incorporate the remaining £10 million of the total fund.
If this is correct, it would bring the final chance to get involved with the scheme much closer, likely to a mid-June closure of ADOPT. However, with the details of Round 7 not yet announced, this still remains speculation and we are awaiting the announcement from DEFRA and UKRI.
The future of ADOPT
A statement from DEFRA on 24 February 2026 announced a further £30 million for ADOPT in the 2026/27 financial year as part of £120 million investment in farm innovation.
If ADOPT continues with £5 million per round, then expect 6 rounds to be delivered across the year with a 2-month application window.
However, with no confirmed date on when the 2026/27 ADOPT funding will be released, prospective applicants should favour the established rounds 6 and 7.
Actions to take
If the changes to the grant scheme in Round 6 extend to Round 7, this creates a more immediate deadline to prepare and submit your application.
The most important action to take if you want to put a project forward is to determine the viability of your project and select a Project Facilitator (if required) to write and submit the application.
There is a separate ADOPT fund that will cover the cost of appointing a Project Facilitator. If you require independent analysis of your project or an accredited Project Facilitator, GrowSave and NFU Energy offer these services at no cost.
If you need some inspiration or ideas for what the ADOPT grant scheme could cover, take a look at some previously successful projects here: Live Projects | FarmPEP
Additional grants for growers
DEFRA also announced the return of the Farming Equipment and Transformation Fund (FETF) for 2026/27 with £50 million split across three sectors: improve productivity, slurry management, and animal health and welfare.
The grant features an established list of equipment which can receive up to 50% funding, ranging in total from £1,000 to £25,000.
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