Agri-food innovation in Turkey: apply for business funding
UK businesses can win a share of £1.5 million to work with Turkish businesses on solutions to challenges in the agri-food sector in Turkey.
A small farm in Turkey. Image credit: Yavuz Sariyildiz / Shutterstock.com
Innovate UK is working with TÜBİTAK, the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, to fund this competition. We are running it as part of the Newton-Kâtip Çelebi Fund programme.
Challenges
The Turkish food and agriculture industry is one of the country’s biggest sectors. It corresponds to 7.1% of the GDP and a quarter of jobs in the country. The sector is strong and vibrant but with a lot of small farmers and limited cultivable land.
Innovate UK is seeking to support technical feasibility studies and industrial research. Projects should focus on the following challenges. Applicants can submit more than one application across the same or different challenges.
Competition information
- using waste by-products and residues from the Turkish agri-food industry to reduce their negative environmental impact and add value
- improving agricultural productivity of small and medium sized-farmers through upgrading agricultural technology
- improving animal and plant breeding within Turkey
Competition information
- the competition opens today 9 May 2016
- UK applicants must register before noon on 14 September 2016
- projects must involve at least one UK-based company and one Turkish company working together
- businesses could receive up to 70% of their project costs for technical feasibility studies and industrial research
- Turkey must be the principal market for this project
- we expect projects to last up to 2 years
- we expect total eligible project costs for each successful UK project to be between £300,000 and £400,000
- projects must fit within Official Development Assistance (ODA) criteria
- a briefing webinar for potential applicants will take place 17 May 2016
About the Newton Fund
The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills leads the Newton Fund in the UK. The Newton Fund uses science and innovation partnerships to promote the economic development and social welfare of 16 partner countries, including Turkey. The Newton Fund will run from 2014 to 2021. There is £735 million funding available from the UK government. Partner countries are contributing extra funding.
The Newton Fund forms part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA). The aims of the ODA are to promote the economic development and social welfare of developing and emerging economies.