Preparing farmers, their workforce and advisors to the future of agriculture by providing the relevant knowledge, skills and competences at the right time and place
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
Knowledge, skills and competences are key factors for a more competitive, sustainable and resilient agriculture.
However, in many EU Member States there are growing concerns about the lack and mismatch of knowledge, skills and competences among farmers working in diverse and rapidly changing environments.
In order to be prepared for and benefit from the various climatic, environmental, technological, socio-economic and other relevant drivers of change, the rural community, in particular farmers, their workforce and their advisors, should be able to acquire and put into practice the relevant knowledge, skills and competences, at the right time and in the right place, in a lifelong pathway.
Detailed Call Description
- develop, improve and apply methodology to assess and foresee what knowledge, skills and competences farmers, their workforce and advisors currently have and need/will need in the future to improve competitiveness, sustainability and resilience of agriculture in light of the evolving context. This should enable the identification of potential gaps and opportunities for upskilling and reskilling, new LLL activities and methods, and serve as a baseline for future assessments of the actions aimed at enhancing the knowledge, skills and competences.
- map, assess and explore how farmers, their workforce and advisors are and should acquire knowledge, skills and competences (e.g., methods and tools, timing, frequency and place, incentives, etc.), as well as who is and who should be providing them in order for LLL to be practice-oriented, attractive, effective, timely and up-to-date; take into account also how the 27 Member States designed their CAP interventions related to LLL.
- investigate how to widely and effectively disseminate new practice-oriented knowledge and innovations, resulting from e.g. diverse research and innovation projects, among farmers, their workforce and advisors; in particular analyse what approaches/tools, communication materials and channels are preferred, trusted and used by farmers, their workforce and advisors; based on the analysis provide toolbox and guidelines;
- map, assess and compare agricultural LLL, including education and training systems, across the EU and beyond, explore and assess best practices on how to embed the knowledge collected within the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) structures to provide valuable input for LLL, including education and training systems, and provide recommendations for improving LLL, including educational and training systems, in view of making them more effective in supporting the transition to competitive, sustainable and resilient agriculture;
- co-create, pilot, test, and share new, interactive, effective approaches and tools (e.g., exploring the potential of generative AI and social innovation), to stimulate LLL, increase knowledge flows within AKIS and enable farmers, their workforce and advisors to quick, easy and affordable access to impartial and relevant knowledge, skills and competences supporting their decision-making;
- explore potential synergies between EU instruments and develop new practical approaches to better connect Horizon-funded projects, EIP-AGRI operational groups projects and Erasmus+ projects to LLL in agriculture, including education and training systems, to maximise the impact of these projects for LLL and promote a more coherent approach to knowledge, skills and competences development;
- develop and test a system(s) compatible with existing EU-wide initiatives that acknowledge(s) and reward(s) farmers, their workforce and advisors who engage in LLL. The system(s) should include different levels of recognition based on the extent and depth of LLL activity completed, as well as be visible, verifiable, and tied to tangible benefits, providing a strong incentive for continuous learning. The project should also assess how the system(s) can be of benefit for the knowledge, skills and competences development of the farming community.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
100%
Expected EU contribution per project: €8.00 million.
Thematic Categories
- Agriculture - Farming - Forestry
- Education and training
- Other Services
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
- Rural development
Eligibility for Participation
- Associations
- Educational Institutions
- Farmers Unions
- Farmers, Agriculturalists
- Legal Entities
- Local Authorities
- Non Profit Organisations
- Other Beneficiaries
- Private Bodies
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
- Services Providers
- Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
- Training Centres
Eligibility For Participation Notes
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