Grants8 | The most comprehensive grants search on the web

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Grant Purpose and Target

Single, clear statement of grant's core objective: To test, develop, and pilot innovative solutions for improving on-farm post-harvest operations, storage, and transformation of crops into food and non-food products, enhancing farmers' position in value chains and fostering new SME-led sustainable business models.
Explicit identification of target recipient type and size: Primarily targets farmers and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), along with other actors in the agri-food value chain (e.g., research organizations, industry, NGOs, local authorities) participating in multi-actor consortia.
SECTOR-SPECIFIC
Geographic scope and any location requirements: Open to entities from EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe (specific list in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes). The focus is on strengthening EU agri-food systems and promoting global transition, particularly through EU-Africa cooperation.
Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening:
Focus on innovation in post-harvest handling, storage, and transformation of crops.
Must aim to improve farmers' position in value chains and create new SME-led business models.
Projects must demonstrate a positive impact on climate and environment.
Mandatory multi-actor approach involving farmers and SMEs.
Solutions must be practically applicable and tailored to farmers' needs.
Grant frequency and program context: This is a specific topic within the Horizon Europe 2025 Work Programme, Cluster 6 'Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment'. It is an Innovation Action (IA) with a two-stage application process, indicating it is part of a recurring framework program.

Financial Structure

Total budget for the specific topic: EUR 12,000,000.
Expected number of grants: 2.
Minimum grant amount per project: EUR 6,000,000.
Maximum grant amount per project: EUR 6,000,000.
Currency: EUR.
Financial support to third parties: Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties.
Maximum amount to be granted to each third party: EUR 60,000.
Maximum allocation for third parties: A maximum of 30% of the EU funding can be allocated for financial support to third parties within the project budget.
Cost-sharing structures: Not explicitly detailed in the provided information, but for Horizon Europe Innovation Actions, specific co-financing rates typically apply.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Eligibility

Eligible organization types: Consortia applying for this grant should involve a diverse range of organizations. These explicitly include:
SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises): Their participation is expected and promoted.
Farmers: Directly involved in the multi-actor approach.
Research organizations.
Policy makers.
Technology providers.
Food, drink, and hospitality industry.
Retailers and social economy actors.
Local authorities and communities.
NGOs and civil society.
Partnership or consortium requirements: The 'multi-actor approach' is mandatory. Proposals must adequately involve relevant actors, including farmers and SMEs.

Geographic Location Requirements

Eligible countries: As described in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes (document not provided). Typically, this includes EU Member States and Associated Countries. EU Member States are:
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.

Financial and Operational Capacity

Financial and operational capacity: Requirements are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes (document not provided).

Project Scope and Technical Requirements

Innovation Actions (IA): Projects must involve testing, developing, and piloting innovative solutions.
Non-duplication: Proposals must convincingly explain how they build on, and do not duplicate, previous relevant Horizon 2020 or Horizon Europe calls.
Sustainability Impact Assessment: Proposals must assess the impact of proposed innovations on overall sustainability (environmental, social, economic) and analyze climate change mitigation and carbon footprint reduction potential.
Regulatory Compliance: Proposals must address requirements from relevant EU regulatory frameworks, including needs for pre-market authorization where applicable.
Economic Analysis: A cost-benefit analysis of the practical implementation of developed innovations is required.
Exploitation Pathway: Proposals must describe a tailor-made exploitation pathway including market research, manufacturing, regulatory approvals and licensing, and IP management.
Farming System Inclusivity: Projects must benefit various farming systems/approaches, and one of them must be organic farming.
Financial Support to Third Parties: Consortia may provide financial support to third parties, particularly farmers and/or SMEs, for developing, testing, or validating innovative technologies/solutions. Consortia must define the selection process for these third parties.

Application Process

Application deadlines:
Stage 1 (First-stage submission): 2025-09-04T00:00:00+0000
Stage 2 (Second-stage submission): 2026-02-18T00:00:00+0000
Submission model: Two-stage application process.
Submission platform: Electronic Submission Service, accessible via the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Required documentation and materials:
Standard application form (HE RIA, IA).
Standard application form (HE RIA IA Stage 1) for the first stage.
Specific first-stage requirement (Blind Evaluation Pilot): For the first stage, proposals must not disclose organization names, acronyms, logos, or names of personnel in the abstract and Part B of the application.
Evaluation form templates: Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA) and Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA and CSA Stage 1) will be used with necessary adaptations.

Application Assistance and Support

General guidance: Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ.
Enquiry services: Research Enquiry Service, IT Helpdesk.
National support: National Contact Points (NCPs) for guidance and practical information; Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) for business advice, especially for SMEs.
Intellectual Property: European IPR Helpdesk for IP issues.
Standardization: CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk for standardisation advice.
Ethical considerations: The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment.
Partner search: 'Partner Search' tool available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Project Implementation and Reporting

Project duration: Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
Reporting obligations: Not explicitly detailed in the provided text, but standard Horizon Europe grant agreements typically require periodic and final reports on technical and financial progress.

Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation and Award Criteria

Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds: These are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes (document not provided).

Blind Evaluation Pilot

First-stage proposals: This topic is part of a blind evaluation pilot. Applicants must not disclose their organization names, acronyms, logos, or names of personnel in the proposal abstract and Part B of their first-stage application.

Project Quality and Impact

Innovation: Proposals will be evaluated on the innovativeness of solutions for on-farm post-harvest operations, storage, and transformation, and their potential to be tested, developed, and piloted.
Farmer Empowerment and Competitiveness: The extent to which proposals improve farmers' position in value chains, enable value addition to their products at farm level, and enhance their competitiveness.
Business Model Development: The fostering of new SME-led sustainable business models and increased opportunities for farmers to engage in on-farm transformation.
Climate and Environmental Performance: The positive impact on the climate and environmental performance of farming activities, including contributions to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and carbon footprint reduction.
Practicality and Applicability: Proposals should demonstrate practical applicability, be tailored to farmers' needs, and adapted to the seasonal character of raw material production.
Overall Sustainability Assessment: The thoroughness of the assessment of the proposed innovations' impact on the overall environmental, social, and economic sustainability of farmers and business activities.

Implementation and Multi-Actor Approach

Multi-actor Approach: The effective involvement and engagement of relevant actors, including farmers and SMEs, in the project implementation.
Dissemination Quality: The plan for developing publicly available, diverse, practice-oriented dissemination materials (e.g., audiovisuals, brochures) presenting the innovations.

Compliance and Synergies

Regulatory Compliance: Addressing relevant EU regulatory frameworks, including pre-market authorization requirements.
Economic Viability: The quality of the economic cost-benefit analysis for practical implementation.
Exploitation Plan: The clarity and feasibility of the exploitation pathway for developed innovations (market research, manufacturing, regulatory approvals, IP management).

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Required permits and authorizations: Proposals must address requirements from relevant EU regulatory frameworks, including needs for pre-market authorization where applicable.
Legal and financial set-up: Beneficiaries must comply with the conditions described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes (document not provided).

Intellectual Property Policies

IP management: Proposals must include a plan for Intellectual Property (IP) management as part of their exploitation pathway.

Cross-Cutting Themes and Considerations

Multi-actor approach: This is a mandatory requirement for proposals, ensuring adequate involvement of diverse stakeholders including farmers and SMEs.
Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH): Integration of SSH is encouraged to apply a human-centred approach to R&I and support social innovation.
Inclusivity: Considerations for gender and other socio-demographic groups and their intersections are expected.
Cross-cutting priorities: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Agenda are listed as relevant cross-cutting priorities.

Synergies and Complementarities

EU Missions: Actions are encouraged to seek complementarities with the EU Missions 'A Soil Deal for Europe' and 'Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030'.
European Partnerships: Synergies should be sought with partnerships on Agroecology, Animal Health and Welfare, Sustainable Blue Economy, Sustainable Food Systems for people, planet and climate, and Agriculture of Data (forthcoming), as well as PRIMA and EIP-AGRI.
International Cooperation: Targeted R&I activities, particularly under the EU-Africa Partnership on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA) and other international research consortia, are encouraged.
EU Financial Programmes: Synergies with relevant EU financial programs and initiatives, including Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) of the EIT (e.g., EIT Food) and international cooperation programs (e.g., DeSIRA).
Knowledge Centres: Coordination with JRC activities under various EC Knowledge Centres (e.g., Bioeconomy, Soil Observatory, Earth Observation, Food Fraud and Quality) and the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries.

Unique Aspects and Challenges

Blind evaluation pilot: First-stage proposals are subject to a blind evaluation, requiring anonymization of organizational and personnel details in specific sections.
Financial support to third parties: Projects can allocate up to 30% of EU funding (max EUR 60,000 per third party) to support farmers and/or SMEs for innovative technology development/validation.
Focus on Widening Countries: Increased efforts on innovation actions for food systems sustainability are encouraged in widening countries, EU outermost regions, and Central and Eastern Europe.
Quality standards: High-level technologies (both high and low TRLs) should be balanced within proposals to achieve impact.

Grant Details