15 members compose the EU Mission Soil Board: seven women and eight men. Their main goal will be to advise the European Commission on how to promote the Mission, raise awareness across the EU on its importance, and inspire citizens and professionals to get involved in the restoration and protection of soil and land.
If you are applying to the EU Mission Soil call, have a look at some useful tips. You can learn about what kind of mistakes you should avoid, what is a strong consortium and what to do if you do not have one.
€95 million in funding is available for innovative solutions to improve soil health with food processing residues, decontamination methods, bio waste and reuse of land in urban and rural areas. REA is also looking for projects on soil education. Check the 10 topics open for funding, and submit your proposals by 27 September.
The call for expression of interest for the “Promotion of Agricultural Products (AGRIP) 2021-2027” programme is still open! We are looking for experts with experience in communication and marketing of agricultural products and food, including promotion strategies, market research, public relations, and advertising. Those with suitable profiles are strongly encouraged to create or update their expert profile in the database and apply.
From 1-10 July the ‘Enjoy EU Food Summer Village’ delighted Tokyo’s food-lovers with cooking shows, free tastings and didactic games. The goal was to promote the 27 EU Member States’ produce, and their key merits - quality, safety, authenticity, and sustainability. On 6 July, the EU FOOD EXPO in Tokyo introduced Japanese food industry professionals to organic and GI-certified agricultural products from the EU. The event also featured tastings, a seminar, as well as networking opportunities.
From 29 June to 1 July, the EU campaign “Un Viaje a Europa en cada bocado” participated in Expo Gastronómica 2022 in Mexico City. It is Mexico’s annual appointment for the hospitality and food service industry. A rich canapé and drinks bar, as well as three cooking shows with Europe’s top ingredients were presented to Mexican entrepreneurs. This allowed them to experience first-hand the high quality of EU agri-food produce and to bring them closer to Mexican consumers.
On May 31, the EU held an Indonesian Partnership event in Jakarta, as part of its agri-food promotion campaign “Colours by Europe. Tastes of Excellence”. The event was attended by Vincent Piket, EU Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam. It sought to connect over 60 Indonesian trade partners and media with EU representatives. The aim was to explore collaborations and to increase the presence of EU food and beverages in the country. Participants also enjoyed a specially curated culinary experience.
In May, the EU and South Africa held a two-day seminar on the EU’s high quality, Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary (SPS) standards for agri-food production. The interactive event targeted the South African government and private sector. It dove into trade benefits, giving participants insights into how their businesses can leverage the quality, safety, authenticity and sustainability of European agricultural products.
Calls for proposals on the promotion of agricultural products in the internal market and in third countries closed on 21 April 2022. 116 SIMPLE and 41 MULTI proposals were submitted. Successful applicants will be informed of the evaluations’ outcome in Autumn 2022. Applicants for MULTI programmes will be contacted by the European Research Executive Agency (REA), while applicants for SIMPLE programmes will be contacted by their national authorities.
From 10 – 15 July, a business delegation from the European agri-food sector accompanied Janusz Wojciechowski, European Commissioner for Agriculture, to Vietnam and Singapore. This visit aimed to facilitate European agricultural produce exports and to explore the benefits of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (August 2020) and the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (November 2019).
On 5-8 September 2022, the EU will promote the safety, quality, authenticity and sustainability of EU agri-food produce at the FHA Singapore and Fine Food Australia fairs. The EU pavilions will offer an immersive experience showcasing a wide variety of EU agricultural food and beverage products through information sessions, cooking shows, and tastings.
A new high-protein microalgae strain developed by researchers has now been scaled up by Portuguese microalgae producer Allmicroalgae Natural Products as part of the EU-funded ProFuture project. The new Chlorella strain could be used to make vegan food products that not only are more nutritional but also taste better.
Whether boiled, roasted or baked, potatoes are delicious. Climate change however is threatening the EU’s potato supply! The EU-funded project ADAPT researches potato resilience to environmental stressors, like heat, drought and waterlogging.
The EU-funded AMBER project has received the Outstanding International Impact of Research & Innovation award by the Swansea University for its work on how to fix Europe's broken rivers. The project created a Pan-European Atlas of In-Stream Barriers for fragmenting rivers. It also helped identify 25 000 km of rivers made to be free-flowing, a key component of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.
On World Bee Day, it is essential to pay homage to a variety of pollinating insects crucial for our food security. A number of EU projects, managed by REA, such as PoshBee and B-Good contribute to their sustained survival.
With EU Green Week taking place from 30 May to 5 June, and in an exclusive video interview with REA, EU-funded project URBiNAT talks about the importance of social participation for co-creating cities worth living in where solutions are inspired by nature.
An Info Day on the Mission Soil’s currently open call for proposals took place on 18 May. Potential applicants were able to learn about the kind of projects the European Commission would like to support with Horizon Europe funding. If you missed the session, watch the recordings!
The European Commission is looking for strategies for land decontamination and reuse, and innovative ideas on how to implement carbon-farming practices. The deadline to apply is 27 September 2022.
Are you interested in finding out more on upcoming Horizon Europe Info Sessions, project-led discussions and European Commission events, including the European Research and Innovation Days? Then check out our REA’ events webpage to stay up-to-date on the latest events!
Birdwatching activities help develop a broader awareness, knowledge and love of nature, as well as a sense of environmental citizenship. Explore this fascinating world with the Horizon 2020 Citizen Science projects! Read the full article on the Horizon Magazine
