There is more than food in the Horizon Europe’s Cluster 6 – check out the new funding opportunities

30th June 2021 at 10:29 am

Food first – looking at the development of the Work Programme titles over the course of the last European Framework Programmes, it becomes clear why it was always colloquially referred to as the “Food” or “Food etc.” programme:

• “Food Quality and Safety” (FP6, 2002-2006),
• “Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology” (FP7, 2007-2013),
• “Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, Marine, Maritime and Inland Water Research and the Bioeconomy” (H2020, 2014-2020)
• “Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment” (Horizon Europe, 2021-2027)

There is of course good reason for these increasingly lengthy titles. Not only has the research over the last two decades in biological sciences led to unprecedented progress in our understanding of living organisms and how to use this knowledge to optimise food production. There has also been a growing awareness of the close links between food and human health and the natural and social environments, requiring a more holistic approach. One of the declared goals of Cluster 6 in Horizon Europe is therefore to balance environmental, social, and economic goals. Let’s have a closer look at this Cluster 6 today.

With a total budget of € 2.2 billion for 2021 to 2022, the Horizon Europe Cluster 6 is expected to support a transformative change of the EU economy and society to reduce environmental degradation, stop and reverse the decline of biodiversity, and better manage natural resources while meeting the EU’s climate objectives and ensuring food and water security.

Cluster 6 is sub-divided in seven so-called “destinations”:

• Destination 1 – Biodiversity and ecosystem services
• Destination 2 – Fair, healthy and environment-friendly food systems from primary production to consumption (“Farm2Fork”)
• Destination 3 – Circular economy and bioeconomy sectors
• Destination 4 – Clean environment and zero pollution
• Destination 5 – Land, ocean and water for climate action
• Destination 6 – Resilient, inclusive, healthy and green rural, coastal and urban communities
• Destination 7 – Innovative governance, environmental observations and digital solutions in support of the Green Deal

The following infographic provides an overview of the upcoming call topics and deadlines for the year 2021 under the different destinations.

Although the Horizon Europe Cluster 6 programme offers a wide array of funding opportunities for scientists, companies, and other organisations, we expect a tough competition similar to the previous Horizon 2020 programme. The table below shows the key facts and anticipated number of funded projects.

Food projects and accelopment

We have long-standing experience in supporting EU grant applications in Proposal Writing, Grant Preparation, Project Management, Communication, Dissemination, and Exploitation. From the very beginning of your proposal preparation process, our dedicated team supports project coordinators and the whole consortium in developing a strong and compelling proposal. We consider ourselves a sparring partner in the process.

We have experience from several ongoing or completed Food and Agriculture projects, including PHOTONFOOD, PROHEALTH, NEOH, or RISKSUR and are in the process of launching our latest one, DECIDE, starting on 1 July 2021. Thanks to our expertise in more than 50 FP7 and Horizon 2020 projects, we assist coordinators with administration and management tasks and support the entire consortium in the dissemination and exploitation of project results. For more information about our proposal preparation services for Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment projects, you are welcome to contact our experts.

Dr. Johannes Ripperger
Research & Innovation Manager

Andreia Cruz
Research & Innovation Project Associate