Research and innovation towards an environmentally sustainable, circular and bio-based economy
13th June 2024 at 7:00 am
A closer look at Horizon Europe Cluster 6 and the CBE Joint Undertaking
Supporting the transition towards an environmentally sustainable and circular economy is a primary focus of the European Green Deal initiative. This involves supporting research and innovation across diverse fields ranging from biodiversity, food systems, and environmental pollution to the sustainable supply of natural resources and green communities. This wide range of topics is covered by funding opportunities in Cluster 6 of Horizon Europe’s Pillar 2 but substantial additional funding is also available from the Circular Bio-based Europe (CBE) Joint Undertaking.
Forthcoming funding opportunities for Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
The 2023-2025 Work Programme for the Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment cluster features only two remaining calls with a total of four call topics that close on 24 September 2024. 5 million euros are budgeted for the HORIZON-CL6-2024-FARM2FORK-03-1 call topic to fund one project addressing fall armyworm pests and 28 million euros are allocated to three call topics within the “Land, ocean and water for climate action” call (HORIZON-CL6-2024-CLIMATE-02). A total of five projects will be funded under these three call topics. We therefore highlight the very limited remaining Green Deal funding opportunities available in Cluster 6.
The CBE Joint Undertaking
Additional funding for Green Deal-related research and innovation is available from the CBE Joint Undertaking. With a total budget of 213 million euros allocated to 18 call topics, this represents an attractive addition to Cluster 6 funding opportunities for research and innovation across the food and agriculture interface. The 18 call topics include three Coordination and Support Actions, five Research and Innovation Actions, and 10 Innovation Actions including three flagship IAs. CBE expects to fund approximately 30 projects under these call topics, with a proposal submission deadline of 18 September 2024.
While the CBE JU calls follow the same rules and procedures as Horizon Europe calls, some important differences in the project requirements are noteworthy. These differences primarily apply to Innovation Actions (IAs): The funding rate for for-profit organisations is only 60% and the ability to ensure 15% to 20% (IAs vs Flagship IAs) of in-kind contributions to operational activities must be demonstrated. RIA proposals can be up to 50 pages, IA proposals up to 70 pages, and the award criteria are biased towards the Impact with a weighting factor of 1.5x and a high scoring threshold of 4/5.
Support for your Cluster 6 and CBE Proposal
At accelopment, we are passionate about supporting the European Green Deal initiative. With our Strategic Grant Planning service, we can help you navigate through relevant funding programmes, identify upcoming opportunities and develop a strategic action plan for your project ideas. Our multi-disciplinary team has long-standing experience in supporting grant applications in Proposal Writing, Grant Preparation, Project Management, Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation, and are ready to help you outline the environmental benefits of your project idea and highlight how the results can be of greater impact.
We have experience with several ongoing or completed Food and Agriculture projects, including DECIDE, PHOTONFOOD, RISKSUR, and PROHEALTH. For more information about our proposal preparation services for Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environmental projects, please contact our experts.
Dr. Jörn-Frederik Wotzlaw
Research & Innovation Project Manager
Dr. Johannes Ripperger
Research & Innovation Manager