Food and drink business support and funding

If you are starting or hoping to expand your food and drink business, there are several sources of funding options available.

Invest Northern Ireland funding support

Invest NI offers a range of funding support to food and drink businesses:

• Innovation Vouchers - provide funding of up to £5,000. This can be redeemed against the cost of specialist expertise from universities, colleges and publicly funded research institutes. Find out how Innovation Vouchers can help your business.
• R&D funding - if your business is eligible Invest NI could provide up to £50,000 of support. This is to help your food and drink business expand, improve or create new products, services and processes. Find out about R&D support.
• Funding through loans and equity - find out about funding options to help small and medium-sized enterprises.
• In-market visits - Invest NI has a programme of international trade missions and exhibitions. These can help your business sell your food or drinks products in export markets across the globe.
• Intellectual property (IP) protection - offers financial assistance to help pay for the costs involved in protecting patents, trademarks, design registration and licensing agreements. Find out about protecting your intellectual property.

Department of Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs (DAERA) funding

From time to time DAERA welcomes applications for food-specific support schemes such as the Northern Ireland Regional Food Programme.

Find out about all DAERA grants and funding.

Northern Ireland Food & Drink Association (NIFDA)

NIFDA provide a grant finder service focused specifically on the food and drink industry for their members. Find out about becoming a NIFDA member.

Business finance and support finder

The business finance and support finder is a searchable database that can help you find publicly-funded sources of assistance. Support may be available in a number of forms, including financial assistance and free or subsidised advice services. Search for available support on the business finance and support finder.