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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

– This grant aims to reduce the EU's reliance on imported feed protein by significantly boosting the domestic production and sustainable use of plant proteins for animal feed. - It targets a wide range of actors across the plant protein feed value chain, including farmers, land managers, advisors, feed manufacturers, industry (including SMEs), policymakers, and researchers. - This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant, focused on agriculture, food systems, and animal feed production. - The primary geographic scope is the European Union, with opportunities for international cooperation, especially with the EU-Africa Partnership on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA), and includes EU outermost regions and Central/Eastern Europe. - Key filtering criteria include a focus on enhancing protein crop cultivation for feed, improving agricultural system resilience, and contributing to EU self-sufficiency. - This topic is part of a recurring Work Programme within Horizon Europe, specifically addressing the 2025 call.

Financial Structure

The grant will provide funding in the form of lump sum contributions.
The total budget for this topic is EUR 11,000,000, with an expectation to fund 2 projects.
Each successful project is expected to receive a grant of EUR 5,500,000.
Eligible costs include personnel costs (employees, natural persons under direct contract, seconded persons, SME owners), subcontracting costs, purchase costs (travel, equipment, other goods/works/services), and other specific cost categories (financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods/services, research infrastructure access, PCP/PPI procurement, Euratom Cofund staff mobility, ERC additional funding).
Ineligible costs are those explicitly excluded under Horizon Europe rules.
Indirect costs are calculated by applying a 25% flat rate to the direct cost categories that qualify under Horizon Europe rules.
Payments are based on the proper implementation and fulfillment of conditions for work packages, not on actual incurred costs.
A portion of the total lump sum, between 5% and 8%, is retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.
Co-financing principles will be verified, ensuring the total estimated costs of the action are greater than the estimated Union contribution.
Reimbursement rates set out in Horizon Europe rules will be applied when calculating the final lump sum.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type and Structure

Eligible to all legal entities involved in the plant protein feed value chain.
Specifically mentioned eligible actors include farmers, other land managers, advisors, feed manufacturers, industry (including small and medium enterprises), policymakers, and researchers.
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a member of the consortium.
Proposals must implement the 'multi-actor approach', ensuring adequate involvement of relevant stakeholders.

Geographic Requirements

Eligible countries are those described in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. This typically includes EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe.
Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may be eligible if specific provisions for funding participation exist.

Technical and Capacity Requirements

Projects should include a dedicated task, appropriate resources, and a plan for collaboration with other projects funded under this topic and related topics (HORIZON-CL6-2024-FARM2FORK-02-5-two-stage and HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-06).
Proposals should ensure coherence and complementarity with ongoing relevant Horizon Europe projects and the Horizon Europe Partnership 'Agroecology'.
Projects must capitalize on existing relevant research findings and tools (e.g., from Horizon 2020 projects).

Application Process

Application Submission

Application Deadline: The final deadline for submitting proposals is 2025-09-16.
Submission System: Applications must be submitted via the Electronic Submission Service available through the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Authentication: To access the submission service, applicants must authenticate using EU Login. SMS authentication is no longer possible; more secure alternatives must be set up.
Application Forms: The application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System (Standard application form HE RIA, IA).
Supporting Materials: Applicants should prepare a detailed budget table (HE LS) and consult guidance documents such as the HE Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreements (Lump Sum MGA), and call-specific instructions.

Evaluation and Selection Process

Review Process: Proposals will be evaluated by external independent experts according to standard Horizon Europe procedures.
Timeline: An indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Post-Award and Implementation

Reporting: There is no obligation to report actual costs incurred. Checks, reviews, and audits will primarily focus on the technical implementation of the action and the fulfillment of conditions for releasing lump sum contributions per work package.
Project Planning: Applicants must propose the lump sum amount based on estimated direct and indirect costs, providing a breakdown per work package and per beneficiary/affiliated entity. The proposal must describe in detail the activities and related resources for each work package.
Collaboration: Successful proposals must include a plan and resources to collaborate with other projects funded under this topic and specific related topics (HORIZON-CL6-2024-FARM2FORK-02-5-two-stage and HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-06).

Evaluation Criteria

Standard Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the standard Horizon Europe criteria: excellence, impact, and quality and efficiency of the implementation.

Specific Impact and Outcome Factors

Contribution to EU Strategic Autonomy: Projects must contribute to the EU's strategic autonomy by fostering food and nutrition security and safeguarding the long-term sustainability of EU farming systems.
Reduced Import Dependency: Success in reducing the EU's reliance on imported key agricultural products and inputs by boosting EU plant protein production and use for feed.
Agricultural System Resilience: Demonstrated increase in the sustainability and resilience of agricultural systems.
Policy Alignment: Alignment with Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) objectives, EU Green Deal strategies, EU climate action, and the communication on boosting biotechnology and biomanufacturing in the EU.
Farmer Capacity and Understanding: Proposals must foster farmers' capacity to sustainably produce and use protein crops for feed, and improve farmers' and advisors' understanding of protein crop cultivation and animal diets.
Knowledge and Innovation Transfer: Increased knowledge and innovation among diverse actors across the protein crops value chain regarding preservation and transformation processes for feed.
Competitiveness of EU Protein Sector: Contributions towards a more competitive EU protein crop sector.
Environmental Benefits: Enhanced agricultural systems' resilience to climate change, external shocks, and supply chain disruptions, coupled with increased commitment to biodiversity preservation and conservation, improved soil quality (restoring biodiversity, increasing fertility, nutrient cycling, water retention), and minimized pollution.

Implementation Quality and Methodology

Multi-Actor Approach: Effective implementation of the 'multi-actor approach' and adequate involvement of relevant stakeholders (farmers, land managers, advisors, feed manufacturers, industry, policymakers).
Knowledge Co-creation and Exchange: Demonstrated effective knowledge co-creation and exchange between researchers and field actors, and the entire feed value chain.
Capacity Building and Dissemination: Generation of comprehensive capacity building materials, trainings, and information tools for farmers, advisors, and extension services, including tailored visualizations. Development of diverse practice-oriented dissemination materials (e.g., audiovisuals, brochures, fact sheets).
Cost-Effectiveness: Focus on identifying the most cost-effective production systems with protein crops and combinations, based on local agronomic features and market data.
Integrated Approaches: Encouraged integration of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) for a human-centred approach, and adoption of unifying approaches like 'One Health' where relevant.
TRL Balance: Topics should be balanced in terms of high and low Technological Readiness Levels (TRLs).
Data Sharing: All generated data and knowledge should be shared through existing digital tools or platforms.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Projects must comply with the Decision of 7 July 2021 on lump sum contributions under Horizon Europe.
Adherence to the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 is required.
Developments in this area should be coherent with the new Regulation on deforestation-free products (Regulation (EU) 2023/1115), by reducing the impact of plant protein feed needs on deforestation and forest degradation globally.

Ethical Standards and Integrity

Compliance with ethics and research integrity principles is mandatory.
The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment should be consulted for general principles and requirements.

Data and Intellectual Property

Data generated must be shared through existing digital tools or platforms.
Management of intellectual property must align with grant agreement stipulations.

Project Approach and Scope

Multi-Actor Approach: Mandatory requirement, ensuring adequate involvement of diverse stakeholders from the domestic plant protein feed value chain, including farmers, land managers, advisors, feed manufacturers, industry (SMEs), and policy-makers.
Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH): Integration of SSH is encouraged to apply a human-centred approach to research and innovation, and to support social innovation at regional and local levels.
Technological Readiness Levels (TRLs): Proposals should aim for a balance of high and low TRLs.
Sustainability and Environmental Impact: Projects must identify, test, and showcase biodiversity-friendly management practices. They should contribute to improving soil quality, minimizing pollution, and restoring and protecting biodiversity. All farming approaches, including organic farming, are within the scope.
International Cooperation: Encouraged as appropriate, particularly with the EU-Africa Partnership on FNSSA.

Strategic Alignment and Synergies

Projects should seek complementarities with EU Missions ('A Soil Deal for Europe', 'Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030').
Synergies are encouraged with European partnerships on Agroecology, Animal Health and Welfare, Sustainable Blue Economy, Sustainable Food Systems for people, planet and climate, and Agriculture of Data (forthcoming).
Coordination is expected with PRIMA (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean areas) and EIP-AGRI (European Innovation Partnership for Agriculture Productivity and Sustainability).
Synergies with relevant EU financial programmes and initiatives, including the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), especially EIT Food, and international cooperation programmes (e.g., DeSIRA), are encouraged.

Cross-Cutting Considerations

Consideration of gender and other socio-demographic groups is important.
The 'One Health' approach should be implemented where relevant.
SMEs participation is particularly promoted.
Risk management expectations shift to technical completion and outputs under the lump sum model.

Grant Details