Robotic and Automatic Technology Grant (as part of the Improving Farm Productivity Grant (ROUND 2)

A new Robotic and Automatic Technology Grant, which is part of the Improving Farm Productivity grants suite, has been launched by the RPA.  The minimum grant that can be applied for is £25,000 which will pay for 40% of the total project costs (which in the example of the minimum grant would be a project total of £62,500.  The maximum grant that can be applied for under this grant is £500,000.

Farmers may choose to use loans, overdrafts, or other monies to fund the remainder of the project costs after the grant has been applied, however other public monies may not be used by the grant claimant to fund the rest of the project.

What will the grant fund?
The grant will fund robotic or automatic farming equipment such as, but not limited to:

• Harvesting technology.
• Weeding technology.
• Robotic spraying technology.
• Driverless tractors and platforms.
• Voluntary robotic milking systems.
• Feeding robots.
• Transplanting technologies.
• Slurry robots.

Robotic machinery must comply with all the statements below, whereas Automatic machinery must comply with only two of the statements below, the machines must:

• Sense the environment in which it operates.
• Understand its environment from what it senses.
• Plan what it must do based on what it has sensed.
• Control the operations or processes it has decided needs to be done (including controlling actuators which may or may not be part of the eligible project costs).

Applications will be scored based off the following criteria:

• Does it meet the funding priorities?
• Does it show value for money?
• Is it financially viable?
• Is it realistically deliverable?

There is an online checker to assess initial eligibility here:  http://tinyurl.com/bdsmxar9 with a 21^st March deadline.  Those successful in this phase will be invited to do a full application with a June 2025 deadline.

If you get in contact with a supplier of robotic or automatic equipment and request quotes on the overall costs of the project of installing your desired items from several suppliers to ensure you get the best value for money.  This is a competitive grant application process, meaning your application will be scored against others based on the criteria in the above list.  We can help you with the application. 

Contact Morgan, to ensure you have the best chances of success at
morgangray@fcgagric.com or Tel: 07707 893492.