Food, bio-economy, natural resources, agriculture and environment

We are looking for innovative solutions to reduce food waste, strengthen animal welfare, and assess urban farming impacts. We are also looking for innovations to safeguard biodiversity, foster sustainable agriculture, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture and encourage the healthy use of land, oceans and waters. There are over 90 different topics open for submission with EUR 890 million in Horizon Europe funding available.

The Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership, co-funded by the EU, has launched the first joint call for a thriving sustainable blue economy. Projects must be developed at a pan-European level and in the different European sea basins: the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The total estimated budget is about EUR 50 million. The deadline to apply is 14 April.

Submitting a project proposal under Horizon Europe is a challenging task that requires careful planning, precise budgeting, and a seamless collaboration with partners. We have prepared some Dos and Don’ts to help you prepare a quality proposal.

In Horizon Europe, gender balance is a ranking criterion for proposals with an equal score. Gender Equality Plans (GEP) are an eligibility criterion for public bodies, research and higher education institutions. Gender dimension in research is a mandatory requirement in all research and innovation projects, unless a topic explicitly specifies otherwise.

The EU-funded project NetworkNature, managed by REA, has partnered with WWF-Ukraine to launch the Ukraine Nature-based Solutions Hub. The Hub will help making post-war reconstruction of cities, communities, ecosystems, agriculture, and water management nature positive, climate resilient and inclusive. The Hub will also facilitate stronger networks between the EU and Ukraine’s research and innovation actors.

EU research projects are actively contributing with knowledge, practical tools and innovative solutions to restore and protect soils in Europe and beyond. Discover Horizon 2020 projects SUPERB, HoliSoil, Rosewood 4.0 and HOMED.

Xyllela Fastidiosa has the potential to cause an annual production loss of EUR 5.5 billion of olive and other trees, and put nearly 300,000 jobs at risk. To address this problem, the EU funded Bexyl project, managed by REA, is developing concrete solutions to mitigate the impact of #Xyllela Fastidiosa in the EU. Blanca Landa, an agricultural engineer, is leading the project. Her team is using innovative methods like dog sniffing and aerial cameras to detect the spread of the bacteria and testing plants resistance.

An EU-funded project has developed farming products made from microalgae contributing to end the use of pesticides by 2030. The SABANA project, managed by REA, has found out that microalgae can purify local wastewater while producing natural fertilisers. The team of researchers isolated 10 different microorganisms able to provide biopesticides and to control fungai, insect and illnesses without using any chemicals.

The EU-funded NewTechAqua project, managed by REA, has been recently featured as ‘project of the month’ in CORDIS, the European Commission's primary source of results from the projects funded by the EU's framework programmes for research and innovation. The project is providing cutting-edge training on fish nutrition and health and helping novel aquaculture solutions reach the market.

The EU co-funded project Water4All Partnership, managed by REA, will take part in two of the interactive dialogues foreseen at the conference: on international cooperation, and on accelerating the implementation of the Water Action Decade’s objectives. Water4All and its partners will also take part in different side events on: collaborative innovation; the mainstreaming ecological restoration in freshwater ecosystems; transdisciplinary ecohydrology for the acceleration of SDG-methodology; and, inclusive science for water security.