Enhancing sustainability and resilience of agriculture, forestry and rural development through digital twins
Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
Horizon Europe is the European Union (EU) funding programme for the period 2021 – 2027, which targets the sectors of research and innovation. The programme’s budget is around € 95.5 billion, of which € 5.4 billion is from NextGenerationEU to stimulate recovery and strengthen the EU’s resilience in the future, and € 4.5 billion is additional aid.
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
Given that around a third of EU citizens live and work in rural areas, it is vital to empower rural communities – farmers, foresters and other rural actors – in the transition towards sustainability and resilience so that no one is left behind.
In this context, digital twin technology has attracted attention over the last decade because of its potential to address challenges in many application areas and to transform the way businesses and public administrations operate.
However, research and innovation related to the use of digital twins in rural areas and related key economic sectors, in particular in agriculture and forestry, is still limited.
Digital twins require further exploration, innovation, testing and demonstration in order to realise their full potential and achieve a higher level of maturity and scalability in different territorial and sectoral contexts.
Detailed Call Description
- design, prototype and test the use of digital twins to improve sustainability and resilience of rural areas and related key sectors (i.e. agriculture, forestry and other relevant sectors). Innovations should be co-created with rural actors to respond to their needs and tested for their feasibility for the territorial development opportunities or challenges that they bring;
- develop a detailed map of the villages in three-dimension employing digital and data technologies. The map should be freely accessible to local authorities, researchers, private companies and other relevant actors to monitor key parameters, test ideas and explore smart(er) and more competitive, sustainable and resilient forms of village development. Where relevant, focus should be given to the planning, monitoring and management of green areas as well as other natural elements in the village that can improve resilience to climate change;
- develop a public web-based platform allowing users to visit the 3D model of the village twins remotely, including through the use of immersive technologies (e.g. Virtual Reality). By integrating various technologies, the platform should allow the user to access information on selected elements of the cultural, historical and/or natural heritage of the village for promotional purposes while establishing a mechanism for residents to provide feedback on existing and proposed initiatives of village development;
- assess the potential of the investigated digital technologies in promoting forms of collaborative, open and citizen-centric governance;
- measure and assess the costs and benefits of the implementation of digital twins in the rural areas and sectors of application, including enablers and barriers to their uptake and acceptance by the target groups, adequacy and availability of existing public/private funding opportunities, incentives, and new business models supporting their development beyond project duration;
- provide research, business and policy recommendations supporting the successful deployment of the developed digital twins in rural areas and relevant key sectors;
- support training and capacity building for local administrations and rural actors in order to share best practices, develop skills, create and maintain a rural innovation ecosystem enabling them to benefit from the innovations developed for the digital transition in rural areas.
The application of the developed technologies should support the implementation of the smart villages concept oriented towards relatively underdeveloped and remotely located rural areas and communities.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
100%
Expected EU contribution per project: €6.00 million.
Thematic Categories
- Agriculture - Farming - Forestry
- Environment and Climate Change
- Information and Communication Technologies
- Information Technology
- Public Administration
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
- Rural development
Eligibility for Participation
- Businesses
- Educational Institutions
- Farmers, Agriculturalists
- Legal Entities
- Other Beneficiaries
- Private Bodies
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
- Services Providers
- Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
- State-owned Enterprises
- Training Centres
Eligibility For Participation Notes
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as member of the consortium selected for funding.
If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS (other data and services may additionally be used).
The following additional eligibility criteria apply: The proposals must use the multi-actor approach. See definition of the multi-actor approach in the introduction to this Work Programme part.
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects.
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
National Contact Point(s)
Research and Innovation Foundation
29a Andrea Michalakopoulou, 1075 Nicosia,
P.B. 23422, 1683 Nicosia
Telephone: +357 22205000
Fax: +357 22205001
Email: support@research.org.cy
Website: https://www.research.org.cy/en/
Contact Persons:
Marcia Trillidou
Scientific Officer A’
Email: trillidou@research.org.cy
Dr. Mary Economou
Scientific Officer
Email: meconomou@research.org.cy