Commercial horticulture growers in England can apply for a share of up to £5 million in a newly opened government-backed competition for practical on-farm trials. The Full ADOPT Grant Round 10 opened on 8 October 2026 and closes at 11:00 a.m. UK time on 2 December 2026, according to the official UK government grant listing. Greenhouse operators may be eligible, but this is not a £5 million allocation reserved exclusively for greenhouses.
Defra is providing the competitive funding under the Farming Innovation Programme in partnership with Innovate UK. The round is designed to let commercial farmers, growers and foresters test ideas or methods that are new or not yet widely used, and share lessons about productivity, resilience and environmental performance.
Which greenhouse proposals could qualify?
The Innovate UK competition brief expressly includes horticulture alongside agriculture and agroforestry. A greenhouse business might propose a grower-led trial of a monitoring system, crop-management practice or equipment intended to address an operational problem. That example describes possible scope, not a claim that any such greenhouse proposal has already won an award.
Projects must have eligible costs between £50,000 and £200,000, last between six and 24 months and start by 1 April 2027. The lead must be an established commercial farming, growing or forestry business based in England, collaborating with at least one other UK farming, growing or forestry business. The published criteria also require an explanation of how results will benefit other English growers.
Timing and funding conditions matter
ADOPT is an application opportunity, not secured project finance. It remains subject to sufficient high-quality proposals, and the £5 million overall ceiling may be shared across different agricultural sectors. The official brief states that project work must not begin before Innovate UK approves a grant offer and that some exclusions apply, including medicinal and pharmaceutical crop production.
For prospective greenhouse applicants, the immediate business decision is whether a trial has a concrete problem to solve, suitable partners and enough time to meet the December deadline. Equipment suppliers may participate through eligible collaboration arrangements, but applicant and expenditure rules need to be checked against the full competition guidance.
Key takeaways
- Full ADOPT Round 10 offers up to £5 million competitively across eligible English on-farm trials, including horticulture.
- The deadline is 2 December 2026 at 11:00 a.m. UK time, and projects normally carry eligible costs of £50,000–£200,000.
- No specific greenhouse-only allocation or funded winners have yet been announced.
