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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The core objective of this grant is to enhance the resilience of food systems to food safety risks by deploying advanced technological solutions. It aims to translate existing knowledge into marketable results and impactful applications.

Target recipient: Organizations and actors across the entire food supply chain, including farming, raw materials suppliers, food processing, distribution, retail, and food services. SMEs are particularly encouraged.
SECTOR-SPECIFIC: This grant is highly specific to the food systems sector, encompassing agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture, and the broader food industry.
Geographic scope: Primarily EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe. International cooperation is encouraged, especially with African partners, and engagement with widening countries, outermost regions, and Central/Eastern Europe is promoted.
Key filtering criteria for initial screening: Applicants must focus on innovative technological solutions for food safety and/or food fraud, aiming for high Technology Readiness Levels (TRL 8 by project end), and utilizing a multi-actor approach for broad stakeholder involvement.
Grant frequency: This opportunity is part of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, indicating it is a recurring program within a larger funding framework.

Financial Structure

The total budget allocated for the HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-03-two-stage topic is 12,000,000 EUR for the year 2025.
It is anticipated that this topic will fund 2 grants.
The maximum and minimum expected contribution per project is 6,000,000 EUR.
Detailed information regarding eligible and ineligible costs, financial reporting requirements, and the legal and financial setup of grants is described in Annex G of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
The topic description does not explicitly state matching fund or co-financing percentages; applicants should consult Annex G for the full funding rates and rules applicable to Innovation Actions (IA) under Horizon Europe.
The exploitation plan for the project must include preliminary plans for commercialization and deployment, identifying potential future funding sources to support these activities.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type & Structure

Applicants must form consortia applying the multi-actor approach. This requires the involvement of diverse stakeholders such as researchers, policy makers, technology providers, primary producers, the food, drink and hospitality industry, retailers, social economy actors, SMEs, local authorities, communities, NGOs, and civil society.
SMEs are particularly promoted for participation.
Governmental and food safety regulatory authorities (e.g., EFSA) are expected to be involved.
Legal entities must meet financial and operational capacity requirements as described in Annex C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Geographic Eligibility

Organizations from EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe are generally eligible for funding.
Specific provisions may allow funding for participants from certain non-EU/non-Associated Countries. Refer to Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide for comprehensive details.
The grant promotes increased participation from widening countries, EU outermost regions, and countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
International cooperation is encouraged, notably with partners from African countries under the EU-Africa Partnership on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA).

Technical & Project Stage Requirements

Proposals must clearly define the starting Technology Readiness Level (TRL) for each involved technology.
Activities are expected to reach TRL 8 (system complete and qualified) by the end of the project.

Compliance & Other Conditions

Proposals submitted under the blind evaluation pilot must not disclose their organization names, acronyms, logos, or names of personnel in the proposal abstract and Part B of their first-stage application (refer to General Annex E for specifics).

Application Process

Application Process Timeline

This is a two-stage submission process.
The deadline for the first stage is 2025-09-04.
The deadline for the second stage is 2026-02-18.
The submission session became available on 2025-05-06.

Submission Materials & Format

Applications must be submitted through the Funding & Tenders Portal's Electronic Submission Service.
The required application form is the Standard application form (HE RIA, IA Stage 1), with Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
For proposals submitted under the blind evaluation pilot, do not include organization names, acronyms, logos, or personnel names in the abstract and Part B of the first-stage application.

Post-Award & Implementation

Projects are expected to achieve TRL 8 by their conclusion.
The exploitation plan is mandatory and should include preliminary plans for commercialization and deployment, specifying potential funding sources for these phases.
A dedicated task and resources must be allocated for collaboration with other ongoing and completed research and innovation projects in the food safety/fraud domain. This includes defining cooperation agreements, technology transfer, and intellectual property arrangements.
Reporting obligations and the legal/financial setup of grants are detailed in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Application Support & Guidance

Comprehensive guidance is provided through the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, and the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ.
National Contact Points (NCPs) offer guidance, practical information, and assistance on participating in Horizon Europe.
The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) offers advice to businesses, particularly SMEs, on EU research funding.
For technical issues with the Funding & Tenders Portal, contact the IT Helpdesk.
The European IPR Helpdesk assists with intellectual property matters.
CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk provide advice on incorporating standardization into project proposals.
The European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct provides general principles and requirements for researchers, employers, and funders.
A Partner Search tool is available on the Funding & Tenders Portal to help find collaborative organizations.

Evaluation Criteria

General Evaluation Process

Proposals will be evaluated based on award criteria detailed in Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
First-stage proposals will undergo a blind evaluation, where the identity of the applying organizations is concealed (as per General Annex F).

Expected Impact

Proposals should demonstrate their contribution to the EU's strategic autonomy by fostering food and nutrition security and long-term sustainability through multi-disciplinary approaches, including the One Health approach.
Projects are expected to enable farmers and agricultural actors to manage sustainable, efficient, profitable, circular, and low greenhouse gas (GHG)-emitting farming systems, contributing to climate-neutrality and climate-resilience.
Achieving enhanced ecosystems' health, minimizing pollution (including water bodies), and restoring and protecting biodiversity through sustainable and resource-efficient farming practices.
Contributing to fair, healthy, resilient, and environment-friendly food systems via sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, promoting low-impact and diverse aquatic food production.
Driving a just transition to overall sustainable, healthy, and inclusive food systems by analyzing existing barriers and enablers, and designing effective leverages for the sustainability transition.
Transforming food environments to empower citizens towards healthy, affordable, and sustainable diets, while simultaneously improving the competitiveness of food processing industries and ensuring food safety, food sovereignty, and human health.

Quality and Implementation

Proposals must build upon and further develop existing knowledge and technological results from past and ongoing European framework programs in food safety and fraud, aiming to reach higher TRLs.
The proposed innovative solutions must be close to the market and supported by an initial food chain needs and technology gap analysis to justify the chosen approach.
Preference will be given to innovative clean technologies that contribute to reducing GHG emissions.
A clear plan must be provided for reaching TRL 8 by the project's end, with a defined starting TRL for each technology.
A dedicated task, appropriate resources, and a plan for collaboration with other ongoing projects under this theme are required. For already finished projects, mechanisms for engaging relevant stakeholders and agreements on technology transfer and intellectual property must be defined.
Involvement of governmental and food safety regulatory authorities (e.g., EFSA) alongside other stakeholders (startups, SMEs, investors) is crucial.
Encouragement to utilize services offered by European research infrastructures like METROFOOD-RI or other relevant facilities.
Consideration of citizens and societal engagement in activities to ensure technological results are aligned with consumer needs.
Integration of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) is essential for a human-centered approach and to support social innovation at regional and local levels.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory & Ethical Compliance

Proposals should identify existing regulations and recommend how specific technologies could use regulatory sandboxes to facilitate future commercialization.
General regulatory and ethical compliance requirements are detailed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Technical & Environmental Standards

Strong emphasis is placed on the deployment of clean technologies within the food industry to enhance manufacturing efficiency and reduce carbon footprint and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Projects are expected to reach a high level of technological maturity, specifically TRL 8 (system complete and qualified), by the end of the grant period.

Collaboration & Knowledge Transfer

The multi-actor approach is a mandatory requirement, necessitating the active engagement of diverse stakeholders across the food system value chain.
Applicants must demonstrate plans to leverage and build upon the results of past and ongoing research and innovation projects in food safety and fraud. This includes defining cooperation agreements for technology transfer and intellectual property.
Proposals are encouraged to consider utilizing services from European research infrastructures, such as METROFOOD-RI, where relevant.
International cooperation is actively encouraged, particularly with partners from Africa, to promote a global transition towards sustainable agri-food systems.

Innovation & Societal Impact

A key objective is to overcome the 'innovation paradox' by ensuring that the strong EU knowledge base translates into marketable results and impactful applications, demonstrating a new level of ambition and creativity.
Proposals should include elements of citizen and societal engagement to ensure that technological results are better aligned with consumer needs.
The integration of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) is essential to apply a human-centered approach to research and innovation, and to support social innovation at regional and local levels.

Unique Aspects & Challenges

The first stage of proposal evaluation will be conducted under a blind evaluation pilot, meaning the identity of the applying organizations will be unknown to evaluators.
Projects must address specific food safety and/or food fraud gaps, substantiated by a thorough initial food chain needs and technology gap analysis.
The grant strongly supports the objectives of the EU Green Deal, Farm to Fork Strategy, and Food 2030 pathways, aiming for sustainable, resilient, inclusive, and healthy food systems.
SME participation is specifically promoted to foster innovation and market uptake.

Grant Details