Agri-tech Catalyst Round 10: Agriculture and Food Systems (Early Stage)

Deadline: 21-Oct-20

UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £2.5 million from the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) to work on agri-tech and food chain innovations in Africa.

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The aim of this competition is to increase the pace of innovation in the development of agricultural and food systems in Africa. Your project must result in more use of innovations by farmers and food systems organisations, such as manufacturers, processors, retailers, distributors and wholesalers.
Focus Areas
You can choose from one or more of the following areas:
primary crop and livestock production, including aquaculture
non-food uses of crops, excluding ornamentals
challenges in food processing, distribution or storage, and value addition (such as through a change in the physical state or form of the product)
improving the availability and accessibility of safe, healthy and nutritious foods
Your project’s innovations must:
be sustainable in the context of environmental challenges such as climate change and resource scarcity
minimise negative effects such as pollution, food loss and waste
promote safe, healthy and nutritious diets
Outcomes
Your application must demonstrate how the primary benefit from your project will be a contribution to international development outcomes, specifically:
enhanced food and nutrition security and
welfare of the poor in urban and rural areas in developing countries
Activities carried out in the UK must clearly deliver impact in an eligible African country. Any benefits to the UK must be secondary in nature and result from delivering the primary benefit. Your proposal must clearly demonstrate the ways it will have an impact in the country.
Specific Themes
Your project can focus on any area that improves the uptake of agricultural and food systems technology and innovation, for example:
integrating smallholders into global and local supply chains
increasing the value of production to smallholders
control of crop pests, weeds and diseases
meeting quality standards and improving productivity
reducing food losses ‘post-farm gate’ and through the value chain
addressing food safety issues through the value chain
new food technologies and data-driven food systems, including for urban areas
addressing challenges in downstream food processing, distribution, or storage and value addition
innovation that supports food systems to deliver nutritious, healthy and safe food
Funding Information
For early stage feasibility studies, your total eligible project costs must be between £100,000 and £500,000.
Eligibility Criteria
Any UK registered business claiming funding must be eligible to receive state aid at the time we confirm you will be awarded funding. It is not possible to award grant funding to organisations meeting the condition known as undertakings in difficulty.
Your projects must:
have total eligible costs between £100,000 and £500,000
start by 1 April 2021
last between 12 and 18 months
All projects must:
be collaborative
include a UK registered lead applicant organisation (known in previous rounds as the ‘administrative lead’)
include a technical lead, from any country
include at least one business (from the UK or an eligible African country from the list below)
include at least one partner from an eligible African country
implement significant activity in the eligible African
The roles of lead applicant and technical lead could be carried out by a single UK organisation.
Your project can also include other businesses, academic institutions, public sector organisations or research and technology organisations (RTOs). They must claim funding through this competition and be invited to join the application by the lead applicant.
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations (CSOs) can join the consortium as non-grant claiming partners. Their costs will count towards the total eligible project costs.
The lead applicant:
will be responsible for completing the application
will be the recipient of the award (referred to as ‘project manager’ in the Innovation Funding Service)
will manage and be accountable for the project’s finances in accordance with the terms and conditions of the award
must be a UK registered business of any size, academic institution, charity, public sector organisation or research organisation
must claim grant funding through this competition
can partner in up to 2 other applications where they are neither the lead applicant nor the technical lead
The technical lead:
will lead on the development of the scope, work packages within the project and other work from a technical perspective
can be a UK registered business of any size, academic institution, charity, public sector organisation or research organisation, or a partner organisation from any country
must claim grant funding through this competition and be invited to join the application by the lead applicant
can also be the lead applicant if it is a UK registered organisation
For more information, visit https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/659/overview