Agriculture funding, handled.
Modern agriculture is field robotics, sensing, biologicals and data science applied to the field, under long, season-bound trials. We secure the non-dilutive funding behind better yields, lower inputs and new machines.
Season-bound trials, strong funding fit
AgTech R&D spans field robotics, sensing, biologicals, breeding and farm software, all of it eligible. Non-dilutive funding covers the multi-season trials and hardware work that carry the cost and the risk.
Why R&D funding fits Agriculture
Four reasons agriculture companies are well positioned for German R&D funding.
Season-bound development cycles
Field trials run across growing seasons and years before a result is proven. That is exactly the window the Research Allowance is built to support.
Field rigs and equipment count too
Since 2024, depreciation on test rigs, sensors, robotics platforms and lab equipment used directly in an R&D project can be included in the eligible base.
Cross-disciplinary teams
Funding is built around R&D wage costs, and AgTech teams are full of the agronomists, robotics and software engineers and biologists those costs cover.
Strong bioeconomy pull
The Horizon Europe food, bioeconomy and agriculture cluster (Cluster 6) and the EIC actively fund agricultural innovation, giving teams a route to larger grants on top of the national instruments.
What agriculture activities qualify
Four categories of agricultural R&D that consistently qualify. The common thread is technical uncertainty.
Field robotics and automation
- Autonomous platforms for seeding, weeding or harvesting
- Perception and navigation in unstructured field conditions
- Actuation and mechanics for new field tasks
Sensing and precision ag
- Crop, soil and livestock sensing systems
- Variable-rate application methods developed from data
- Remote-sensing and on-machine analytics under field uncertainty
Biologicals and inputs
- Biostimulant, biocontrol or novel-input development
- Formulation and efficacy work under field variability
- Trials resolving biological and agronomic uncertainty
Breeding and farm software
- Marker-assisted or data-driven breeding methods
- Yield, irrigation or herd-management models
- Decision-support software validated against field data
The line that decides a claim
The line that decides a claim is technical uncertainty. A quick orientation for AgTech:
Usually qualifies
- Field robotics, sensing or biologicals tested through systematic trials
- Breeding or input methods that resolve agronomic uncertainty
- Decision-support models validated against field data
Usually does not
- Routine cultivation and standard variety testing
- Approval and registration paperwork for inputs on its own
- Standard farm operations and equipment maintenance
How much agriculture companies typically receive
Indicative ranges based on R&D team size and intensity. Actual figures depend on eligible costs and the funder's decision.
Mostly the Research Allowance on a core engineering or agronomy team.
The Research Allowance stacked with a ZIM grant on a defined trial or product.
Toward the Research Allowance ceiling, plus stacked ZIM and Horizon Europe bioeconomy funding.
* Indicative figures. The actual amount depends on company size, eligible costs and the programs you qualify for.
The kind of agriculture work that qualifies
If it carries genuine technical risk and novelty, it usually counts. A few examples:
Autonomous platforms and perception in unstructured field conditions.
Crop, soil and livestock sensing with technical novelty.
Biostimulants and biocontrol validated under field variability.
Data-driven breeding and decision-support with genuine uncertainty.
Best-fit funding for Agriculture
We usually combine two or three of these for the largest total.
Research Allowance
25-35% of R&D costs back as cash, retroactive to 2022.
Explore program →Grant + equityEIC Accelerator
EUR 2.5M grant + up to EUR 10M equity for AgTech deep tech.
Explore program →GrantEurostars
~50%, up to EUR 500k per partner for international R&D.
Explore program →GrantHorizon Europe
up to 100% for collaborative food and bioeconomy consortia.
Explore program →Agriculture funding, answered
The trials that resolve agronomic or technical uncertainty through systematic experimentation can qualify. Routine cultivation and standard variety testing do not, but development under genuine uncertainty often does. We help you separate the two.
Yes. The Research Allowance is paid out even with no profit, which suits the long, season-bound trial cycles typical in AgTech.
Since 2024, depreciation on equipment used exclusively and directly in an R&D project can be included in the eligible base. We assess which of your equipment qualifies.
Yes. Contract research is eligible at 70% of the cost, so working with a university or institute does not exclude you, it adds to the eligible base.
The Research Allowance and ZIM cover the national base, while Horizon Europe (Cluster 6) and the EIC fund larger, more ambitious programmes. We design the stack so they reinforce each other.
Ask us anything
Tell us about your project and we'll assess your case by hand. No prep, no obligation. Prefer to talk?