UK opens £20M funding competition for agricultural robotics and automation

The UK government opened a £20 million Farming Innovation Programme competition on August 3, 2026 for robots and automated systems that plant, monitor and harvest crops, plus livestock-health and woodland-management technology. Applications run through the Innovation Funding Service; the round is part of a £123 million 2026 farming-technology package.

What it means A funded, dated application window for field robotics — concrete money on the table for teams building automation outside the warehouse.