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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to strengthen the knowledge and skills of agricultural advisors and better integrate them within Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) across the EU through the establishment of an EU-wide advisory network.

Explicit identification of target recipient type and size: The primary target recipients are impartial advisors (both public and private) and organizations involved in Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS). The project requires a consortium structure.
MUST state if grant is 'SECTOR-SPECIFIC' or 'SECTOR-AGNOSTIC': This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant, focusing on agriculture, bioeconomy, natural resources, and environment.
Geographic scope and any location requirements: The grant covers all EU Member States. Organizations from non-EU/non-Associated Countries may be eligible if specific funding provisions exist.
Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Applicants must demonstrate a strong focus on enhancing agricultural advisory services, promoting knowledge exchange within AKIS, and committing to a multi-actor approach with significant advisor involvement. The project also requires a long-term vision (minimum seven years) and plans for sustainability.
Grant frequency and program context: This is part of Horizon Europe, Cluster 6, and falls under the 'Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment' Work Programme, indicating it's part of a recurring funding scheme.

Financial Structure

This grant utilizes a lump sum funding model, meaning payments are linked to the completion of specific work packages rather than detailed cost reporting.

Min funding: 10000000.0 EUR
Max funding: 10000000.0 EUR
Currency: EUR
Total budget for the topic: 10000000.0 EUR for one expected grant.
Eligible costs for lump sum calculation include categories such as:
- Personnel costs (employees, contractors, seconded staff, SME owners, natural person beneficiaries).
- Subcontracting costs.
- Purchase costs (travel, subsistence, equipment, other goods, works, and services).
- Other cost categories (financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods and services, access to research infrastructure).
Indirect costs are calculated at a flat rate of 25% of qualifying direct costs and are included in the lump sum determination.
Beneficiaries are permitted to provide financial support to third parties.
The maximum amount of financial support that can be granted to each third party is EUR 60000.
Payments are conditional on the proper implementation of the corresponding work packages as defined in the grant agreement.
A percentage of the total lump sum (between 5% and 8%) is retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.
Pre-financing will follow standard Horizon Europe rules.
While beneficiaries do not report actual costs to the granting authority, they must adhere to their national accounting rules.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type

Any legal entity that can contribute to the objectives, including public bodies, research organizations, universities, SMEs, and other private entities. The project requires a consortium.
The consortium must involve organizations well-networked with impartial advisors.

Specific Qualifications and Experience

The proposal must explicitly implement the multi-actor approach (MAA). This means integrating end-users and practitioners throughout the project lifecycle.
A minimum of 50% of the project participants must be impartial advisors who spend at least half of their working time providing advice to farmers.
Advisors involved must be suitably qualified, appropriately trained, and operate without conflict of interest, ensuring their advice is impartial, as per CAP Regulation (EU) 2021/2115, Article 15(3).
Consortium partners should have the capacity to involve a wide range of professionally active advisors across the EU.

Geographic Location

Organizations from all EU Member States are eligible.
Organizations from non-EU/non-Associated Countries may be eligible for funding if specific provisions are outlined in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Legal and Financial Standing

Applicants must meet the financial and operational capacity criteria described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Application Process

Application Deadlines

The call opened on 2025-05-06.
The submission deadline for proposals is 2025-09-24.

Submission Procedure

Applications must be submitted electronically through the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission Service.
Applicants will need to authenticate using an EU Login account or other approved third-party sign-in options.
The specific application form for this call is available within the Submission System.

Required Documentation and Materials

Proposals must adhere to page limits and layout guidelines detailed in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, and specifically in Part B of the Application Form.
A detailed budget table (HE LS) must be prepared for the lump sum contribution, showing the share per work package and per beneficiary/affiliated entity.
If financial support to third parties is foreseen, relevant information must be provided.

Project Implementation and Duration

The project duration must be a minimum of seven years.
Proposals should include an initial plan for the financial sustainability and maintenance of the EU advisory network beyond the project's funding period.

Reporting and Monitoring

Monitoring and evaluation will focus primarily on the technical implementation of the action and the fulfilment of conditions for releasing lump sum contributions per work package.
Beneficiaries are not required to report actual costs to the granting authority but must adhere to their national accounting rules.

Evaluation Criteria

General Award Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria, typically scored out of 5 for each category:
- Excellence: Quality of the proposed research, innovation, methodology, and the clarity of objectives.
- Impact: The potential for the project's results to contribute to expected outcomes, leverage knowledge, and address societal challenges.
- Quality and efficiency of the implementation: Soundness of the work plan, appropriateness of resources, and management structure.
Scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Project-Specific Scoring Factors

Strengthening AKIS Integration: The extent to which the project strengthens the organization and integration of impartial advisors within national/regional and European AKIS, and intensifies exchanges with other relevant AKIS actors.
Advisor Capacitation: How well the proposal ensures advisors are better equipped with practice-oriented, up-to-date knowledge, skills, and tools to provide high-quality, impartial advice covering economic, environmental, and social sustainability in line with CAP objectives.
Accelerated Knowledge Sharing: The potential for the project to accelerate and widespread the sharing and practical use of existing and new knowledge and solutions by farmers, facilitated by more competent and skilled advisors.
Implementation of Interactive Innovation Model: Effectiveness in supporting the advisory community's understanding and implementation of the interactive innovation model (e.g., through practical examples, methodology, training, and regular communication of R&I needs).
Online Platform Development: Quality and functionality of the proposed online platform as a reference point for advisors and their clients, including databases, data sources, decision support tools, training materials, and best practices. The platform's content must be translated into all 24 official EU languages.
Collaboration and Synergy: Commitment to collaborate with and efficiently use outputs from relevant past, existing, and future AKIS projects, avoiding duplication.
EU-Wide Coverage: Demonstrated capacity to cover a wide range of impartial advisors and ensure collaboration from all EU Member States, leveraging national AKIS structures.
Sustainability Plan: The credibility and feasibility of the initial plan for financial sustainability and maintenance of the EU advisory network beyond the project's duration.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

All projects must comply with the General Conditions described in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Compliance with Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 (Common Agricultural Policy) is essential, particularly regarding the impartiality and qualification of advisors.

Multi-Actor Approach (MAA)

The multi-actor approach is mandatory. This means that actors from the entire knowledge chain (e.g., researchers, farmers, advisors, businesses) must be actively involved throughout the project.

Consortium Composition

The consortium must ensure a minimum of 50% of the participants are impartial advisors who dedicate at least half of their time to advising farmers.
Consortium partners are expected to be well-networked with advisors across the EU and capable of involving a large number of advisors professionally active in providing advice to farmers.

Online Platform Requirement

The project must create, regularly update, and manage an online platform to serve as a reference point for advisors and their clients.
The platform must include a database of advisors' contacts, robust data sources, decision support tools, training materials, and best practices.
A critical requirement is that the entire content (not just the interface) of the online platform must be translated into all 24 official EU languages.

Collaboration and Synergies

Proposals must include a dedicated task and allocate appropriate resources for collaboration with relevant past, existing, and future AKIS projects (e.g., those funded under Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, and CAP), to ensure complementarities and avoid duplication of efforts.

Financial Support to Third Parties

The grant allows for financial support to third parties (up to EUR 60000 per third party) to facilitate the involvement of advisors from across the EU.
The consortium must clearly define the selection process for these third-party advisors or advisory services.

Project Longevity and Sustainability

The project is expected to run for a minimum of seven years.
The proposal must include an initial plan outlining how the EU advisory network will achieve financial sustainability and be maintained in the long term beyond the project's funding duration.

Cross-Cutting Priorities

The project aligns with cross-cutting priorities such as the Multi-Actor Approach, AI, and the Digital Agenda, indicating a preference for solutions incorporating these elements.

Grant Details