The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise will hold an online information event on its Innovation Driver and Support Horticulture Pilot Scheme at 7pm on Thursday, 20 August. The session is aimed at production horticulture businesses.
CAFRE has scheduled the briefing as expressions of interest remain open for the horticulture pilot scheme. The deadline for those expressions of interest is 4 September 2026, giving growers a further period in which to register interest following the event.
The online meeting will focus on the Innovation Driver and Support Horticulture Pilot Scheme, which is being presented by CAFRE as an opportunity for commercial production horticulture businesses to access innovation support.
The event is planned as an information session rather than an application deadline. Growers considering the pilot scheme will be able to attend the scheduled online briefing before the expressions-of-interest window closes in early September.
CAFRE has set out a two-stage timetable for the scheme. Expressions of interest are currently being sought, while full applications are planned for the autumn. The 20 August event falls before both the September deadline and the intended full-application stage.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs has publicised the CAFRE event and the continuing expressions-of-interest process. Businesses interested in the pilot scheme have until 4 September to submit an expression of interest under the published timetable.