Lump Sum Micro-Grants for Members of the SoilTribes Community of Practice

Code: 36865 | Identifier Code: SoilTribes | Programme name: 20613 | Start submission calls: 13/06/2025 | End submission calls: 14/07/2025

The SoilTribes project aims to transform the way society values and interacts with soil by fostering soil literacy, connectivity, and sustainable practices. This innovative initiative focuses on empowering multi-actor communities- referred to as “tribes”- to cocreate and implement solutions that address the critical challenges facing soil health today.

Nutrients produced by microorganisms utilising primarily CO2 from the air, with the support of biotechnology

Code: 36864 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-14 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 16/09/2025

Innovations using microorganisms have the potential to offer benefits in various sectors such as agriculture, food and feed, industry, the environment, the marine/aquatic sector and biodiversity.
The use of microorganisms genetically modified for precise fermentation is an innovative approach that could contribute significantly to safer food systems.
This biotechnology harnesses the potential of microorganisms to produce nutrients, such as enzymes, fats and other valuable compounds, with high yield and specificity.
It is therefore a key area for investment and research that promises to revolutionise the food system and contribute to a healthier planet.

Fostering animal breeding and genetics for climate change adaptation and mitigation, improved robustness and resilience

Code: 36861 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-07 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 16/09/2025

Breeding and genetic improvements are some of the tools that can help the livestock sector to increase the efficiency and sustainability of production, to adapt to changes in the environment (e.g. harsh climatic conditions, health risks, changes in feed quality or availability) and to contribute to reducing emissions.

By selecting specific traits that are important for adaptation and mitigation purposes and incorporating them into breeding programmes, farmers and breeders can contribute to more sustainable livestock systems.

Creating urban co-creation spaces for driving sustainable food system transformation

Code: 36855 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-COMMUNITIES-04 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 16/09/2025

Achieving sustainable food systems requires the management of numerous interlinked activities and actors that impact on nutrition, the environment and economic outcomes of great importance to the EU, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Understanding the interconnections and interdependencies of food systems is crucial in decision-making processes to guide food system change.
However, in order to promote more sustainable food systems, it is essential to understand the interrelationships and interdependencies of food systems.

Additional activities of the European partnership on sustainable food systems for people, planet and climate

Code: 36852 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-15 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 16/09/2025

The scope of this call for proposals for the European Partnership for Sustainable Food Systems for People, Planet and Climate should focus on the strategic research and innovation programme co-created by the Partnership for seven to ten years, which includes inspiration for calls for proposals for research projects and horizontal activities that will enable the Partnership to operate and achieve its specific objectives.

Developing a joint AU-EU Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS) supporting the Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA) partnership

Code: 36850 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-16 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 16/09/2025

AKIS is defined as the combined organisation and flow of knowledge between individuals, organisations and institutions that use and produce knowledge for agriculture and related sectors. Technological, non-technological and social innovation must be taken into account in an AKIS. In the context of the FNSSA, the development of an effective AKIS in close collaboration with the International Research Consortium for the FNSSA will enhance long-term sustainability and promote the co-creation and flow of knowledge and innovation to ensure food and nutrition security and improve the sustainability of agriculture through agroecological transition and climate change adaptation.

Bioprospecting and optimised production of marine/aquatic natural products in the omics & artificial intelligence era

Code: 36834 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-14 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 17/09/2025

The huge diversity of marine/aquatic micro-organisms and macro-organisms and their communities is a rich and largely unexplored source of natural products and their essential components.

To survive in habitats ranging from deep-sea sediments to polar regions or shallow waters, marine organisms have evolved a wide range of structures, defence mechanisms and metabolic pathways, resulting in natural products with enormous chemical diversity and a wide range of biological activities.

Biological interactions between intertidal communities, e.g. symbiotic or defence mechanisms, can offer attractive perspectives and also fall within the scope.

Reconstructing areas affected by conflicts: the role of the bio-based solutions

Code: 36831 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-13 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 17/09/2025

Recent wars, some of which are taking place on or near EU borders, in particular Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine and thehumanitarian disaster in Gaza, are causing not only tragic loss of life and human suffering, but also serious environmental degradation in all ecosystems, terrestrial and aquatic, and consequently loss of biodiversity.

Beyond EU borders, conflict and vulnerability persist in areas where communities are affected by recurrent or endemic conflict, without real efforts to rebuild, let alone build better and greener infrastructure.

In this context, the options for the reconstruction process offered by innovative biological solutions should be explored and exploited.

Support to the EU Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative: scoping action

Code: 36828 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-10 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 17/09/2025

The action will start with an assessment of the large number of funded actions in the field of biotechnology and bioengineering (EU – including European partnerships (in particular under the Joint UndertakingBio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU)), EU missions and European research infrastructure programmes in biotechnology, such as EU-IBISBA, as well as others at national, regional and international level), related to industrial, environmental, marine and agri-food biotechnology (Note: according to the current definition of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy, biotechnology in the health sector is not in scope), as well as parallel broader scientific developments on the same topics.

Indicators for the transition to sustainable and circular economy

Code: 36825 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-06 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 17/09/2025

The EU Circular Economy Monitoring Framework has been developed to monitor the progress of the EU and Member States in the transition to a circular economy. It uses aggregated macroeconomic indicators suitable for understanding how the whole economy is changing.

The European Commission has also launched a contracted inventory process to develop and test indicators and methods to measure the transition to a climate-neutral circular economy, its benefits, challenges and trade-offs under the Horizon Europe work programme for 2021.

Understanding the perceptions of and improving communication on the biodiversity crisis and nature restoration benefits to sustain citizen engagement and democratic governance

Code: 36823 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-09 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 17/09/2025

With the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, the Koonming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and, more recently, the adoption of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation , the EU has made strongcommitments to address the challenges of the biodiversity crisis, in addition to the ongoing efforts to increase resilience to climate change embedded in EU climate policy.

Strong scientific evidence supports the need for action, given the importance of biodiversity and ecosystems for society, the economy and resilience.

Environmental impacts from the production of agricultural crops for bio-based industrial systems

Code: 36820 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-02 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 17/09/2025

It focuses on the environmental impact of biomass production, without covering the full life cycle of the uses of this biomass, nor the utilisation of waste and residues.

EU-India cooperation on cumulative impacts of marine pollution on marine organisms and ecosystems

Code: 36817 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-05 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 17/09/2025

Marine pollutants cause harmful effects on marine species and wildlife, serious negative impacts on the structure and functioning of ecosystems, the goods and services they provide and, ultimately, on human health, well-being and prosperity.

The interaction of climate change (and the subsequent effects of warming and ocean acidification) with pollutants, including actual and projected changes in bioavailability, toxicity and water quality, needs to be further considered, including the impacts (depending on gender) on human health, in line with the One-Health approach.

Innovative, AI-based solutions for urban planning and management

Code: 36812 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-MISS-2025-04-CIT-02 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Missions | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 04/09/2025

Urban planning and management require the analysis and integration of data ranging from zoning laws and buildings to overground infrastructure (street networks and their amenities, rail networks, etc.) and underground infrastructure (sewage, gas, electricity, heat, and water supply networks). Besides this complex physical urban fabric, urban planning and management cover intangible features such as administrative organisation, flows of goods and services, environmental determinants, demographic, social, and economic trends, evolving social values, behaviours, and local cultures.

Since the 1980-ties, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) integrating urban information within layers of data and translating them into tables, graphs, and maps, were introduced in urban planning with the purpose to allow a more efficient data collection, analysis, aggregation, and management, enabling planning and decision-making for increasingly sustainable and innovative cities. However, given the rapid digitalisation of almost every aspect of urban life and the increase in complexity and variety of data over the last decades, the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) opens promising, new opportunities for embedding sustainability and climate-neutrality concepts in urban planning and management. AI-based applications (including generative AI) and tools such as machine learning (ML), neural networks (NNs), deep learning, autonomous systems, pattern recognition, simulation modelling – Digital Twins, Internet of Things (IoT), etc. can be harnessed to guide decision-making, predict trends, develop scenarios, optimize resource allocation, engage citizens, and further enhance and promote human creativity, inclusiveness and well-being in urban planning and design.

Unleashing the potential and advancing the impact of the digitalisation/Artificial Intelligence of the climate-neutral bio-based value chains

Code: 36811 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-09 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 17/09/2025

The scope covers all relevant aspects of the contribution of AI/digital technology methodologies and tools that can offer high sustainability benefits (resource efficiency, cyclicality, climate neutrality, etc.) as well as enhance European industrial competitiveness (in particular in terms of improving the quality of organic products, strategic autonomy, resilience and the role of innovative SMEs).

Proposals should demonstrate the upgrading of current capacities, align them with parallel actions in AI and other digital technologies and tools (e.g. development of databases, predictive capabilities, EU level initiatives (e.g. EU AI law, biotechnology and bio-manufacturing initiative)) and incorporate a systematic assessment of risks and opportunities for the sector.

Boosting the transformation towards climate-neutral cities, the net-zero economy and open strategic autonomy through Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP)

Code: 36803 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-MISS-2026-04-PCP-CIT-01 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Missions | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 20/01/2026

By closing the gap between supply and demand in a way that reinforces EU open strategic autonomy, PCPs can make a key contribution to enhancing the European Union’s economy and competitiveness. In order to master the green and digital transition and make our cities climate-neutral and liveable places, European public procurers need to lead by example by procuring more solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This topic therefore focuses on forward looking procurement of R&D to bring to the market new solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that can increase Europe’s resilience and preparedness to tackle the climate challenge.

On the road towards climate-neutral cities this topic addresses the lack and fragmentation of public demand for innovative solutions. Europe’s companies, in particular SMEs and Startups, are indispensable in delivering the required innovations. As past experience shows that pre-commercial procurement opens up the procurement market for startups and enables the public sector to address societal challenges more effectively, public procurers should make more strategic use of PCP.

Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) of policy and market-relevant product groups

Code: 36802 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-03 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 17/09/2025

The Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) aims to stimulate the development of sustainable products, inside and outside the EU, contributing to the EU’s goal of climate neutrality by 2050 and halting the loss of biodiversity.

To achieve this, it introduces a Regulation on Sustainable Product Policy that broadens the scope of the Ecodesign Directive both in terms of products (covering a very wide range of products, beyond energy-related products) and in terms of energy-related products.

Support to the network of National Cancer Mission Hubs (NCMHs)

Code: 36797 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-MISS-2025-02-CANCER-06 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Missions | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 16/09/2025

Building on the first phase of NCMHs, the Mission’s activities will be coordinated with relevant national, regional or local actors with a view to facilitate their integration and alignment with EU and national initiatives such as Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and national cancer strategies and/or national cancer control plans. The Network and NCMHs will be strengthened, including through expanding its capacities, outreach and type of activities the Network will carry out, while ensuring its sustainability.

In this regard the proposal should support the operation of the Network and activities carried out by it.

Improving ecodesign of products and development of testing methods for products prioritised under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation

Code: 36794 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-02 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 17/09/2025

The Ecodesign of Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) sets requirements for products placed on the EU market to improve their environmental sustainability.

• First, the Commission prepares a working plan in which priority product groups are identified, based on the priority criteria set out in the text of the Regulation.
• Secondly, the Commission will develop targeted performance and information requirements, known as ‘eco-design requirements’, for the prioritised products.

Integrated and coordinated approaches for coral reefs and associated ecosystems (mangroves and seagrass beds) conservation, restoration, and climate mitigation and adaptation

Code: 36790 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-07 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 17/09/2025

 Coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangrove forests cover less than 2% of the sea surface, but are home to at least 25% of known marine species and support up to 40% of the world’s fish species. However, these ecosystems have suffered significant degradation in recent decades due to anthropogenic pressures (pollution, overfishing, illegal practices, deforestation, etc.) and climate change (warming, acidification, rising sea levels, etc.).

Although they provide valuable ecosystem services, their management remains largely fragmented and usually focuses on each of them individually, without long-term monitoring. Where they coexist, the three ecosystems are ecologically linked and their joint protection can enhance the overall effectiveness of interventions.

However, integrated land-sea management is difficult due to gaps in knowledge, understanding of ecological connectivity, spatial data and the involvement of local communities (IPLCs). Currently, only 18% of the coastlines where these ecosystems interact are formally protected, and areas managed by local/indigenous communities are often not recorded, despite covering significant areas globally.