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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The core objective of this grant is to enhance multi-stress tolerance in crops, supporting the adaptation of agricultural production to the effects of climate change. This includes increasing agroecosystem biodiversity and promoting low-input practices to foster resilient agricultural systems and safeguard food security.

Target recipients: Research organizations, universities, and businesses (including SMEs) involved in plant breeding, agriculture, and related advanced technologies.
SECTOR-SPECIFIC: Agriculture, Plant Science, Biotechnology, Environmental Science.
Geographic scope: Organizations from EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
Key filtering criteria: Focus on crop resilience, multi-stress tolerance, and alignment with the European Green Deal and EU Biodiversity Strategy.
Grant frequency: This is part of the annual Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, suggesting a recurring program with specific calls.

Financial Structure

The total budget available for this specific topic is EUR 14,000,000.
The funding aims to support 2 expected grants.
The minimum contribution per project is EUR 7,000,000.
The maximum contribution per project is EUR 7,000,000.
Funding is provided in EUR.
Financial support to third parties (FSTP) is permitted:
- The maximum amount to be granted to each third party is EUR 60,000.
- A maximum of 20% of the EU funding received by the beneficiary should be allocated to FSTP.
Consortia need to define the selection process for organizations to which financial support may be granted.
Financial and operational capacity requirements are detailed in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
The legal and financial set-up of the grants is described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type & Legal Status

Eligible applicants are legal entities from EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
Consortium formation is required for application and project implementation.
Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties in the form of grants.

Geographic Location

Organizations must be established in an eligible country as described in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. This includes, but is not limited to, the following EU Member States:
- Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for funding availability.

Capacity & Track Record

Applicants must demonstrate financial and operational capacity as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Projects are Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs), implying a need for proven research capabilities and scientific excellence in the proposed fields.

Exclusion Criteria

Standard Horizon Europe exclusion criteria apply, as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Application Process

Application Procedure

This is a two-stage application process.
Proposals for the first stage are subject to a blind evaluation pilot. This means applicants must not disclose their organization names, acronyms, logos, or personnel names in the abstract and Part B of the first-stage application.
The application must be submitted via the Electronic Submission Service on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Deadlines

First Stage Deadline: 2025-09-04 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.
Second Stage Deadline: 2026-02-18 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.
The call opened on 2025-05-06.

Required Documentation & Materials

Application forms: Use the Standard application form (HE RIA, IA) for two-stage submission, available in the Submission System.
Evaluation forms: The Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA and CSA Stage 1) will be used with necessary adaptations.
Proposal page limits and layout are described in Part B of the Application Form.

Support Resources

Online Manual: A guide on the procedures from proposal submission to grant management.
Horizon Europe Programme Guide: Detailed guidance on the structure, budget, and political priorities of Horizon Europe.
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ: Provides answers to frequently asked questions on submission, evaluation, and grant management.
National Contact Points (NCPs): Offer guidance, practical information, and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe.
Enterprise Europe Network (EEN): Provides advice to businesses, with a special focus on SMEs, including guidance on EU research funding.
IT Helpdesk: For questions related to the Funding & Tenders Portal's technical aspects.
European IPR Helpdesk: Assists with intellectual property issues.
CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk: Advise on standardisation in project proposals.
The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct: Specifies roles, responsibilities, and entitlements of researchers, employers, and funders.
Partner Search: A tool to help find partner organizations for proposals.

Evaluation Criteria

Award Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the criteria described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
This topic is part of a blind evaluation pilot for first-stage proposals. Applicants must not disclose their organization names, acronyms, logos, nor names of personnel in the proposal abstract and Part B of their first-stage application.

Expected Impacts & Outcomes

Proposals are expected to contribute to the objectives of the European Green Deal, the Common Agricultural Policy, EU climate policy, and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.
Projects should contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- Deeper knowledge and characterization of relevant traits for tolerance and resistance to multiple stresses.
- Enhanced identification of local varieties with high plasticity to cope with multi-stress conditions and the development of agro-ecological practices.
- Strengthened capacities for researchers and breeders to evaluate the effects of multiple stresses in crops.
- Availability of information and recommendations on variety performance and practices to cope with multi-stress for advisors and farmers.

Quality and Methodology

Provide insight into the mechanisms and traits that underpin crop responses to multiple stresses.
Increase understanding of the causality between abiotic and biotic stress factors.
Integrate advanced technologies (e.g., 'omics' data sources, high-throughput phenotyping, computational modelling, artificial intelligence) for evaluating Genotype x Environment x Management (GxExM) interactions.
Develop location-specific breeding strategies and agroecological practices incorporating models and AI for predicting cropping system output under multiple stress conditions.
Deliver robust methodologies for benchmarking and communicating crop variety performance when challenged by multiple stresses.
Provide a clear explanation and justification for the selected crop(s).
Ensure activities are carried out in a range of agronomically relevant pedo-climatic conditions.
Ensure coherence and complementarities with ongoing relevant Horizon Europe projects.
Capitalize on existing relevant research findings and tools.

Cross-cutting Themes

Consideration of interdisciplinarity and trans-disciplinarity, including the contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH).
Due consideration of gender and other social categories and their intersections to ensure promotion of democracy and a socially just transition.
Engagement of citizens and stakeholders, including with living labs.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Projects must contribute to and align with EU environmental legislation and European Green Deal initiatives.
Specific alignment is required with the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, EU soil monitoring and resilience law, EU forest monitoring law, EU Taxonomy for Sustainable Activities, and the EU action plan for protecting and restoring marine ecosystems.
Activities must support the environmental objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy.
Compliance with EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 is mandatory.
Adherence to Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment, and Financial Capacity Assessment is required.

Ethical and Social Considerations

The project promotes interdisciplinarity and trans-disciplinarity, explicitly including contributions from social sciences and humanities (SSH).
Proposals must take into due account gender and other social categories and their intersections to ensure the promotion of democracy and a socially just transition.
Citizens and stakeholders’ engagement will be sought, including through living labs, contributing to the new Commission priority “Protecting our democracy, upholding our values”.

Technical & Intellectual Property

Collaboration with European research infrastructures such as AnaEE-ERIC or EMPHASIS is encouraged.
Where relevant, proposals should leverage advanced digital technologies and tools including high-performance computing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Environmental Observation.
Intellectual property policies are governed by the Model Grant Agreement (MGA).

International Cooperation

International cooperation is encouraged in topics that support the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement, and related international agreements such as the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ).

Blind Evaluation Pilot

A key requirement for the first stage is participation in a blind evaluation pilot. This means applicants must not disclose their organization names, acronyms, logos, nor names of personnel in the proposal abstract and Part B of their first-stage application.

Grant Details