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
Agriculture and forestry face a growing challenge from the dual threat of a shrinking portfolio of active substances and increasing pests resistance to treatments.
Climate change compounds this issue by enabling pests to survive milder winters, expand their ranges, and increase their exposure to pesticides—accelerating the development of resistance.
Addressing this complex issue requires a comprehensive, science-based systemic approach that integrates early detection, adaptive management, and long-term foresight to reduce resistance risks and strengthen the sustainability and resilience of agriculture and forestry.
It is also relevant to acknowledge that while pesticides are important short-term solutions, the long-term solutions require shifts in current agriculture or forestry practices and system-level transformations within agri-food systems that would boost the resilience of these production environments, while preserving biodiversity.
Detailed Call Description
Proposals should:
- map resistance risks by assessing the current and projected emergence of pest resistance, considering the declining number of available active substances and the authorised products for different crops;
- develop early detection methods and predictive modelling (including AI-driven approaches) to anticipate and monitor the evolution of pesticide resistance, integrating advanced measurements tools and risk assessment methodologies, notably when products are used at farm level;
- design and evaluate innovative integrated pest and weed management (IPWM) strategies that reduce resistance risks by expanding non-chemical preventive and curative options, optimising the rotation and combination of (agroecological) farming practices, and applying advanced technologies for precise and targeted pesticide use, while capitalising on the results of previous and ongoing initiatives;
- innovate storage and handling practices to reduce resistance pressure during post-harvest stages;
- support foresight activities to anticipate, mitigate and prevent resistance impacts by exploring interactions among technological, environmental, and socio-economic drivers, assessing planned resistance-management strategies against various future scenarios, establishing long-term resistance monitoring, and integrating foresight outputs into decision-making and adaptive management through collaboration across research, farming and forestry sectors, industry, stakeholder networks, and policymakers;
- enhance capacity-building, stakeholder engagement and communication through awareness-raising, sensitisation, education, and the co-creation of solutions with end-users.
Proposals must implement the multi-actor approach including a range of actors to ensure that knowledge and needs from various sectors are brought together.
Proposals should capitalise on relevant research findings, knowledge, solutions and tools, from past and ongoing projects and collaborate with ongoing initiatives. In addition, proposals should consider the activities of international committees on pesticide resistance management.
The projects under this topic are relevant to the EU policies related to the objectives of the common agricultural policy, the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive, and align with the Vision for Agriculture and Food, and support the Commission Communication on: Building the future with nature: Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
70%
Expected EU contribution per project: €6.00 million.
Thematic Categories
- Agriculture - Farming - Forestry
- Agriculture - Food
- Environment and Climate Change
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
- Rural development
- Small-Medium Enterprises and Competitiveness
- Social Affairs & Human Rights
Eligibility for Participation
- Associations
- Businesses
- Central Government
- Educational Institutions
- Farmers Unions
- Farmers, Agriculturalists
- Local Authorities
- Natual person / Citizen / Individual
- NGOs
- Non Profit Organisations
- Other Beneficiaries
- Private Bodies
- Producer Associations
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
- Services Providers
- Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
- State-owned Enterprises
Eligibility For Participation Notes
The following additional eligibility criteria apply: the proposals must apply the multi-actor approach. See definition of the multi-actor approach in 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 Person:
Marcia Trillidou
Scientific Officer A’
Email: trillidou@research.org.cy