News

A special Seminar on EU standards for agri-food products for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries took place on 13-14 December 2022 in Dubai. This interactive event provided GCC authorities and food and beverage industry professionals with insights on the benefits of sustainable and organic food and drink from Europe. It offered networking opportunities, along with a live cooking show, presentations and roundtable discussions with expert speakers.

A Trip to Europe in Every Bite campaign was hosted by the EU Delegation in Mexico, with the presence of a Mexican chef and a sommelier. A group of 22 representatives from the business sector learned more about wines, consumption trends and the benefits of establishing business relationships with European companies. The event inspired participants to consume, sell and import EU products.

Christmas time can be a celebration of gastronomical excellence in produce. Our special Christmas article features among others two Promotion of agricultural products’ projects: EuroFoodArt, which seeks to enhance the competitiveness and consumption of agricultural products registered under the EU’s certification schemes PDO and PGI. The project aims to raise the products’ profiles and increase their market share in France, Belgium and Italy. Similarly, the METROFOOD-PP project looks at providing high-quality services in support of the agri-food sector with specific reference to food quality, safety, traceability and sustainability.

On 15-17 January 2023, the EU will promote the safety, quality, authenticity and sustainability of EU agri-food produce at the WFFS fair in Las Vegas. The EU pavilion will offer an immersive experience, showcasing a wide variety of EU agricultural food and beverage products. This will take place through interactive sessions such as live cooking shows, product oriented sessions, and tastings with renowned European and U.S. chefs.

Info Days will take place on 1 February from 13.30 to 17.00 and on 2 February from 8.30 to 14.00. These will be hybrid events taking place online, as well as onsite at the Albert Borschette Congress Center, Rue Froissart 36, Brussels. They will include presentations and detailed specific technical briefings on the 2023 Call for proposals for interested stakeholders. Please keep an eye on our Event webpage for updates.

On 16 December, the European Commission adopted its Annual Work Programme for 2023 on the promotion of agricultural products. EUR 185.9 million will be available for the promotion of European agri-food products, with a focus on sustainable agriculture. The Commission will also organise communication campaigns in non-EU countries, featuring an EU pavilion in major agri-food trade fairs, business delegation visits and seminars. The Programme aligns with the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy.

The European Research Executive Agency is bringing you a selection of projects that are spreading what Christmas is all about: solidarity, sustainability, peace, and cheer. REA wishes to highlight these special Christmas values by showcasing them in various Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe R&I projects. We wish you a more sustainable festive season and a greener New Year!

The 16th edition of the EuroGEO workshop was a success. More than 250 participants gathered in Athens and had lively discussions on how to improve their contributions to an integrated and convergent EuroGEO and the post-2025 evolution of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO). Thematic sessions were dedicated to health, polar observations, oceans, agriculture, climate and biodiversity, just to name a few. The presentations are now available.

On December 19, at the UN Biodiversity conference COP15 in Montréal, Canada, the EU and 195 countries reached the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Agreement. The Agreement aims to restore 30% of degraded ecosystems, protect 30% of the Earth’s land and sea, prevent/halt the extinction of species, and more.

A public consultation has been launched on the past, present and future of the EU’s research programmes. Stakeholders can provide input on the performance of Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe, and identify priorities for the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2025-2027. The survey is available in English, French, and German; answers can be provided in any EU language. Fill it out below!

Nine multinational projects, funded under the 2021 Mission Soil call for proposals for funding, will receive over €63 million in funding from Horizon Europe. They have recently signed their grant agreements with the Commission and some are already starting their research. Discover how the projects are expected to contribute to the EU Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’.

The evaluations of the EU Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’ 2022 call for proposals for funding are completed. 17 consortium have been informed that their proposals have been successful and will receive EU funding. Now they have to start preparing their grant agreement signatures. The projects are expected to start their research as of June 2023. They'll be sharing €95 million funding to contribute to restore and protect soils in the EU.

Applicants must apply by 23 March or 12 April. Over €890 million is available to fund innovative solutions that support biodiversity, healthy food, sustainable food systems, circular business models, the protection of land, forests, oceans and waters, as well as solutions to address pollution and to guarantee clean and healthy soils, air, fresh and marine water.

Social innovation can foster new forms of collaboration and provide solutions to a plethora of our unmet problems. It is an encompassing term; social innovation can be a product, service, or model. Read about ten inspiring projects below, recently featuring in a CORDIS Results Pack, that contribute to society in various ways – from preventing rural depopulation to integrating marginalised communities through digitalisation.

Cities produce an abundance of data, and the DUET project made the most of them. By using ‘Digital Twins’ (virtual replications of urban areas) of cities in Flanders, as well as Pilsen and Athens, the project successfully proved how to solve urban issues; from reducing pollution to improving transport. The Horizon 2020 project was recently identified as an RTD Success Story.

2023 is around the corner and so soon, opportunities for EU research funding for both 2023 and 2024 under Cluster 2 will be published. Keep an eye out on the European Research Executive Agency’s website in the link below for the latest updates on the new topics that will be funded and their timelines for applying. We’re on LinkedIn and Twitter too!

The projects mentioned above will be funded through calls for applications for funding that opened this year under Horizon Europe Cluster 2. A total of 51 projects will research these topics as well as plenty more, including nurturing democracy. Read an overview of the EU-funded projects from the 2022 calls below.

TWIN SEEDS, ReSChape, and RETHINK-GSC are also nascent Horizon Europe projects. The projects will research global supply chains—which have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and other political trends—in order to improve sustainability, workers’ rights, and re-focus supply chains in a changing world. The projects' outputs will potentially feed into EU trade, environmental, and social policies. Find out more on RETHINK-GSC below.

Several Horizon Europe projects under Cluster 2 have begun their research in earnest. One of these is MOXY, which aims to develop a way to clean tangible cultural heritage (artwork, for example) from damage caused by pollution and vandalism with atomic oxygen (found in space). Research so far, led by NASA-scientists, has promising results: atomic oxygen helped restore Andy Warhol’s bathtub. It also avoids direct contact and is greener and safer than other methods.

A public consultation has been launched on the past, present and future of the EU’s research programmes. Stakeholders can provide input on the performance of Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe, and identify priorities for the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2025-2027. The survey is available in English, French, and German; answers can be provided in any EU language. Fill it out below!