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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Core Objective: To foster animal breeding and genetics to improve livestock robustness and resilience, and to contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts.
Target Recipient Type and Size: Open to a wide range of organizations, including research institutions, universities, SMEs, enterprises, NGOs, and public bodies. The 'multi-actor approach' requires diverse participation, including farmers, breeders, advisors, private sector, industry, and policymakers. No specific size limitations are mentioned, encouraging participation from all sizes of eligible entities.
Designation: SECTOR-SPECIFIC (Agriculture, Livestock, Environment, Research).
Geographic Scope: Primarily EU Member States and Associated Countries. International cooperation is encouraged.
Key Filtering Criteria: Focus on animal breeding and genetics for environmental benefits, particularly climate change mitigation (e.g., reducing greenhouse gas emissions) and adaptation. Projects must involve a 'multi-actor approach' and demonstrate practical applications (TRL 7).
Grant Frequency and Context: This is a specific topic under the HORIZON-CL6-2025-02 call within Horizon Europe, which is a recurring framework program for research and innovation (2021-2027).

Financial Structure

Funding Type: Lump sum contribution. Payments are based on the proper implementation of work packages, not actual incurred costs.
Budget Range for the Topic: The total budget allocated for this topic (HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-07) is 12,000,000 EUR.
Individual Grant Contribution: Each successful proposal is expected to receive a contribution of 6,000,000 EUR.
Expected Grants: Two grants are expected to be awarded under this topic.
Eligible Costs Categories for Lump Sum Calculation: Based on estimated direct and indirect project costs. May include personnel costs (employees, seconded persons, SME owners), subcontracting costs, purchase costs (travel, equipment, other goods/services), and other categories (financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods/services, transnational access to research infrastructure).
Indirect Costs: Indirect costs are calculated using a 25% flat rate on qualifying direct costs.
Financial Reporting: No obligation to document actual costs incurred for the action. Checks, reviews, and audits will focus on the technical implementation of the action and fulfilment of work package conditions.
Financial Guarantees: Between 5% and 8% of the total lump sum is retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.
Co-financing: The total estimated costs of the action must be greater than the estimated Union contributions, ensuring the co-financing principle is respected.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Organization Types

Legal entities established in EU Member States and Associated Countries.
Specific types include, but are not limited to, public bodies, research organizations, universities, private companies (including SMEs and industry), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
The proposal must apply the 'multi-actor approach', ensuring adequate involvement of main stakeholders in livestock breeding, such as farmers, breeders, advisors, private sector/industry, and policy-makers.

Geographic Location Requirements

Organizations must be from EU Member States or countries associated with Horizon Europe.

Consortium Requirements

A consortium is required, as proposals must implement the 'multi-actor approach'.

Technical and Experience Requirements

Demonstrated capacity for research and innovation in animal breeding, genetics, and related fields (e.g., environmental genomics, scientific computing, simulation, modelling).
Ability to develop and demonstrate breeding programs and management practices at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 7 (demonstration in an operational environment).
Expertise in analyzing cost-effectiveness and assessing incentives/rewarding schemes.

Exclusion Criteria

Financial and operational capacity will be assessed, and exclusion criteria are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Application Process

Application Procedure and Steps

Applications must be submitted through the Funding & Tenders Portal's Electronic Submission Service.
The process is 'single-stage'.

Application Deadline

The submission deadline is 2025-09-16 00:00:00+00.

Required Documentation and Materials

Application form templates specific to the call, available in the Submission System.
Standard application form (HE RIA, IA).
Detailed budget table (HE LS) for lump sum proposals.
Proposals must adhere to page limits and layout described in Part B of the Application Form.

Evaluation and Grant Agreement Timeline

The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes (not provided in detail).

Support Availability

Online Manual: Comprehensive guide on procedures from proposal submission to grant management.
Horizon Europe Programme Guide: Detailed guidance on the program's structure, budget, and political priorities.
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ: Answers to common questions about submission, evaluation, and grant management.
Research Enquiry Service: For general questions on European research.
National Contact Points (NCPs): Guidance, practical information, and assistance on participation (available in EU, Associated, and some non-EU/non-Associated countries).
Enterprise Europe Network (EEN): Advice for businesses, especially SMEs, including guidance on EU research funding.
IT Helpdesk: For technical issues related to the Funding & Tenders Portal.
European IPR Helpdesk: Assistance on intellectual property issues.
CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk: Advice on standardisation in project proposals.
The European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct: Consult for general principles regarding researchers, employers, and funders.
Partner Search: Tool to help find partner organizations for proposals.

Evaluation Criteria

Award Criteria

Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Proposals are evaluated based on excellence, expected impact, and quality and efficiency of implementation.

Expected Outcomes and Impact

Enhanced understanding of interactions between management, genotype, and environment in livestock breeding.
Widespread knowledge and consideration of genomic and phenotypic characteristics for selecting animals with lower greenhouse gas emissions and other climate-change related traits by breeders.
Improved knowledge among stakeholders about the contribution of breeding and genetics to sustainability and production efficiency, including trade-offs.
Provision of scientific support and policy advice for EU policies related to sustainable livestock production (e.g., CAP, methane strategy, organic production action plan).
Contribution to more sustainable and environmentally responsible land-based agricultural production systems, tackling livestock emissions, and supporting EU Member States and Associated Countries in mitigation efforts.

Technical Quality and Innovation

Identification of new traits and proxy indicators (e.g., -omic or meta-omic data) to update breeding goals for lower GHG emissions and climate-change resilience.
Development of tools/systems/methods for measuring genotype-environment interaction and traits of interest, predicting breeding value.
Demonstration of breeding programs and management practices for improving robustness, lifetime efficiency, and resilience (TRL 7).
Inclusion of various terrestrial livestock farming systems/approaches, including organic farming.

Implementation and Management

Effective application of the 'multi-actor approach'.
Soundness of the proposed methodology, including detailed activities and resources.
Appropriate resources and plan for collaboration with other projects funded under this topic.
Coherence and complementarities with ongoing relevant Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe research projects and infrastructures.

Cross-Cutting Themes

Consideration of gender-responsive strategies where relevant.
Integration of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) to apply a human-centred approach and support social innovation.
Promotion of open innovation ecosystems and regional innovation ecosystems (e.g., living labs, Regional Innovation Valleys).

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance Requirements

Projects must comply with EU policies and strategies relevant to sustainable livestock production, including the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), EU Green Deal, methane strategy, and action plan for organic production.
Adherence to animal health and welfare legislations and food safety regulations.
Compliance with the Decision on lump sum contributions under Horizon Europe.

Intellectual Property Policies

Management of intellectual property is a control focus during project implementation.

Risk Management and Security

Not explicitly detailed, but general Horizon Europe rules and grant agreement obligations apply.

Collaboration and Networking

Mandatory dedicated task, resources, and plan for collaboration with other projects funded under this topic.
Ensure coherence and complementarities with ongoing relevant Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe research projects, including relevant infrastructures.
Interaction with relevant European and international organizations is encouraged, such as FAO, Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance Partnership (LEAP, FAO), and Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases.

Cross-Cutting Considerations

Mandatory 'multi-actor approach' involving diverse stakeholders.
Encouragement of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) integration to apply a human-centred approach and support social innovation.
Expectation to deploy solutions aligning with Food 2030 pathways for action.
Promotion of open innovation ecosystems (e.g., living labs) and regional innovation ecosystems (e.g., Regional Innovation Valleys for Bioeconomy and Food Systems).
Activities will benefit from the implementation of unifying approaches, including the 'One Health' approach where relevant.
SMEs participation is particularly promoted.
Projects should seek complementarities with EU Missions ('A Soil Deal for Europe', 'Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030') and European partnerships (Agroecology, Animal Health and Welfare, Sustainable Blue Economy, Sustainable Food Systems, Agriculture of Data, PRIMA, EIP-AGRI).
International cooperation is encouraged, especially with the EU-Africa Partnership on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA).

Technical Readiness Level (TRL) Expectations

Topics under this destination should be balanced in terms of high as well as low TRLs. For this specific topic, demonstration in an operational environment (TRL 7) is expected for breeding programs and management practices.

Audits and Controls

Financial checks focus on technical implementation and fulfillment of work package conditions, rather than ex-post audits of actual costs.
Compliance with conditions for using lump sum contributions will be verified during grant preparation, implementation, or afterwards.
If conditions for payment are not met, the grant may be reduced or recovered.

Grant Details