Grants8 | The most comprehensive grants search on the web

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to drive research and innovation efforts focused on preventing and reducing food waste at the household level. It seeks to achieve this through enhanced measurement, diligent monitoring, and the application of new technologies.

Primary objective: Research and innovation for food waste prevention and reduction at household level through measurement, monitoring and new technologies.
Target recipient type and size: Multi-actor consortia involving a diverse range of food system actors, including researchers, technology providers, industry (SMEs especially promoted), policymakers, and civil society organizations.
Designation: SECTOR-SPECIFIC (Food Systems, Waste Management, AI/Technology for Food).
Geographic scope: Primarily EU Member States and Associated Countries, with strong encouragement for international cooperation, particularly with Africa.
Key filtering criteria: Proposals must explicitly focus on household food waste, utilize a mandatory multi-actor approach, and involve research and innovation in measurement, monitoring, and technological solutions.
Grant frequency and program context: This is part of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, specifically Cluster 6, a recurring funding stream contributing to the European Green Deal and Food 2030 objectives.

Financial Structure

Funding is provided in the form of a lump sum contribution.
The total budget allocated for this specific topic ('HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-04-two-stage') is EUR 8,000,000.
Each successful project is expected to receive a contribution of EUR 4,000,000.
Eligible costs include all estimated direct and indirect project costs that would be eligible under a standard actual costs grant. These categories include: Personnel costs, Subcontracting costs, Purchase costs (e.g., travel, equipment, other goods and services), and Other cost categories (e.g., financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods and services).
Indirect costs are calculated using a 25% flat rate applied to the qualifying direct cost categories.
Co-financing is a principle applied, where the total estimated costs of the action must be greater than the estimated Union contribution.
Payments are linked to the successful implementation and completion of predefined work packages, not to actual incurred costs.
No financial reporting of actual costs is required from beneficiaries for lump sum grants.
No financial ex-post audits are conducted; audits focus on technical implementation and fulfillment of work package conditions.
A contribution of between 5% and 8% of the total lump sum is retained for the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.
The currency for all financial amounts is EUR.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type

Consortium required: Yes, a multi-actor approach is mandatory, involving a broad range of food system stakeholders.
Eligible organization types include, but are not limited to: universities, research organizations, public bodies, private companies (including SMEs, whose participation is particularly promoted), NGOs, civil society organizations, technology providers, and primary producers.

Geographic Location

Applicants must be from countries eligible under Horizon Europe, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. This primarily includes EU Member States and Associated Countries.
International cooperation is encouraged, particularly with the EU-Africa Partnership.

Technical and Methodological Requirements

Proposals must apply the multi-actor approach as defined in the work programme.
Effective contribution from Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines is required.
Citizen science is encouraged at all stages of the research activities and should be integrated into the research methodology.

Submission Specifics

For the first stage of the blind evaluation pilot, proposals must NOT disclose organization names, acronyms, logos, nor names of personnel in the abstract and Part B of the application form.

Application Process

Submission procedure: This grant operates under a two-stage submission process.
Stage 1 Deadline: 2025-09-04.
Stage 2 Deadline: 2026-02-18.
Submission platform: Applications must be submitted via the Electronic Submission Service on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Application forms: Standard application forms for Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (HE RIA, IA) and (HE RIA IA Stage 1) are available in the Submission System.
Budget details: Applicants must propose the lump sum amount with a detailed breakdown per work package and per beneficiary, utilizing the specific 'Detailed budget table (HE LS)' template.

Required Documentation

A proposal abstract.
Part B of the application form.
A detailed budget table (HE LS).

Support and Guidance

Comprehensive guidance is available through the Online Manual, the HE Programme Guide, the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, and the Research Enquiry Service.
Direct assistance can be sought from National Contact Points (NCPs), the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), and the IT Helpdesk for technical issues.
Specialized support is available from the European IPR Helpdesk for intellectual property concerns, and from CEN-CENELEC and ETSI Research Helpdesks for standardization advice.
A Partner Search functionality is available on the portal to help find collaborators for your consortium.

Post-Award Requirements

Beneficiaries are not obligated to report actual costs incurred.
The focus for grant management and payments is on the successful technical implementation of the project and the completion of defined work packages.
Compliance checks will focus on ethics, research integrity, dissemination and exploitation of results, intellectual property management, and gender equality aspects.

Evaluation Criteria

General Award Criteria

Excellence: Assesses the quality of the research, the innovation proposed, and the soundness of the methodology.
Expected Impact: Evaluates the potential contribution to achieving the grant's expected outcomes, such as harmonized measurement, reduced reporting burden for Member States, understanding food waste drivers, and overall food waste reduction (including positive impacts on GHG emissions and natural resources).
Quality and Efficiency of Implementation: Reviews the effectiveness of the project plan, the appropriateness of allocated resources, and the overall management approach.

Specific Scoring Factors

Robustness of Measurement: The ability to develop, validate, or rigorously test new and existing tools and methods for measuring and estimating household food waste.
Technological Innovation: The potential of new technologies, including AI, to simplify data collection and reporting for household food waste.
Data Interoperability: The provision of interoperable metadata standards to enable data federation through the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) infrastructure.
Sample Diversity: Application of proposed tools and methods across a large and diverse sample, considering gender, age, socio-economic status, ethnic, and cultural origins, across multiple years and Member States.
Driver Analysis: Thorough investigation of direct and indirect drivers and root causes of household food waste, with particular attention to consumer behaviors.
Solution Potential: Exploration of eco-friendly, low-input, and efficient technological solutions to prevent edible food from being discarded in households.
Multi-actor Implementation: Demonstrated effective implementation of the multi-actor approach by engaging a wide diversity of food system actors.
SSH Integration: The quality and relevance of the integration of Social Sciences and Humanities disciplines.
Citizen Science: The extent and quality of citizen science integration into the research methodology.
Addressing Inequalities: The proposal's approach to addressing inequalities (e.g., potential AI bias related to gender, disability, ethnicity).
Synergies: Leveraging past or ongoing EU-funded research (e.g., CHORIZO, WASTELESS projects) and creating synergies with relevant initiatives (e.g., EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste).
Budget Assessment: Financial experts will verify the detailed budget estimate against relevant benchmarks to ensure alignment between proposed resources and activities.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Projects must demonstrate clear alignment with the European Green Deal priorities, the revised Waste Framework Directive, and the EU's climate targets for 2030 and 2050.
Compliance with EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 is required.

Ethical and Social Standards

Adherence to high ethical standards and principles of research integrity is mandatory.
The integration of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines into the research methodology is a core requirement.
Citizen science approaches are actively encouraged throughout the project lifecycle.
Proposals should actively consider and address potential inequalities, such as the risk of AI bias related to gender, disability, or ethnicity.

Technical and Data Requirements

Projects must develop and provide interoperable metadata standards for all generated indicators.
All data should be designed for federation through the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) infrastructure.
The use and application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies are central to the grant's scope.

Unique Aspects and Preferences

Lump Sum Funding Model: This grant utilizes a simplified financial model where payments are based on the completion of predefined work packages, rather than actual costs incurred. This significantly reduces administrative burden and shifts focus to scientific and technical performance.
Blind Evaluation Pilot: The first stage of the evaluation process will be conducted 'blindly,' meaning applicants must ensure their proposals are anonymized (no identifying organizational or personnel information in specified sections).
Mandatory Multi-actor Approach: A consortium involving diverse stakeholders from across the food system is not merely encouraged but is a compulsory requirement.
Strategic Synergies: Applicants are encouraged to build upon existing EU-funded research (e.g., CHORIZO and WASTELESS projects) and to create synergies with relevant initiatives like the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste, as well as align with broader EU Missions (e.g., 'A Soil Deal for Europe', 'Restore our Ocean and Waters').
International Collaboration: Strong emphasis and encouragement are placed on international cooperation, especially with the EU-Africa Partnership on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA).
SME Promotion: The participation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) is specifically promoted and highly valued within this funding opportunity.

Grant Details