Innovation Support Service for Defra Farming Innovation Programme on-farm trials

Tender description

To implement and operate a farmer-focused, expert support service, that will assist farmers, growers and foresters in England to understand the grant system and apply for funding under Fund 3 of the Defra Farming Innovation Programme. Fund 3 grants focus on farmer-led, on-farm trials and demonstration of new technology systems and approaches. The support service will need to be in place by 2024 and is expected to operate for a period of around 4 to 5 years. Lot 1: The innovation support service core functions include: •Provide a positive first point of contact experience for farmers, growers and foresters interested in the Fund 3 programme. Ensure that applicants are provided with comprehensive advice regarding Fund 3 competitions or signposting to other services if more relevant to their enquiry. •Develop standards for, and maintain, a registry of consultants / ‘innovation managers’ who will be able to assist farmers, growers and forester to develop their ideas into robust on-farm trials and help them complete Fund 3 grant applications. •Maximise the impact of the projects by creating accessible documents/videos summarising the latest best practice advice and guidance on how to structure and manage on-farm trials, manage peer to peer knowledge exchange and other relevant topics. •Support evaluation and analysis of on-farm trial results into appropriate formats that can be shared with the wider agricultural community. Collate specific performance metrics to share with UKRI Innovate UK and Defra.