Boosting data availability and AI solutions in food for consumers and food service professionals

Closed

Code: 39215 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2026-03-GOVERNANCE-08 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 14/01/2026 | End submission calls: 15/04/2026

The decisions taken by consumers and food service professionals when they purchase, prepare and preserve food impact their productivity as well as the sustainability of food systems, and dietary health.

AI solutions offer opportunities to assist consumers and food service professionals in these decisions. To maximise the impact of these AI solutions it is necessary to increase their uptake as well as the availability and quality of the data on which they rely.

A services and business incubator for geospatial open-source developments

Closed

Code: 39212 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2026-03-GOVERNANCE-06 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 14/01/2026 | End submission calls: 15/04/2026

Open-source geospatial software ecosystems form a critical digital infrastructure for climate services, agriculture, biodiversity, environmental monitoring, and beyond.

While Europe is home to world-class developers and software assets used globally and presenting the backbone to the modern geospatial sector (e.g. GDAL, QGIS, Pangeo stack, etc), their long-term sustainability remains challenged by fragmented, voluntary support, low visibility in funding and investment channels, and limited access to business knowledge and opportunity tailored to open-source development models.

Coordinated European contribution to the WMO Global Greenhouse Gas Watch and its international governance

Closed

Code: 39208 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2026-03-GOVERNANCE-05 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 14/01/2026 | End submission calls: 15/04/2026

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) established in 2023 a new global greenhouse gas monitoring initiative that aims to support WMO Members in climate change mitigation actions undertaken to implement the Paris Agreement.

The WMO Global Greenhouse Gas Watch (G3W) will fill critical information gaps and provide an integrated, operational framework that brings under one roof all space-based and surface-based observing systems, as well as modelling and data assimilation capabilities in relation to greenhouse gas monitoring.

G3W plays a key supporting role to the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement.

Interconnect Earth Observation research for addressing environmental policies

Closed

Code: 39206 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2026-03-GOVERNANCE-07 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 14/01/2026 | End submission calls: 15/04/2026

Earth Observation (EO) research is interconnected across Europe, supporting and enhancing the ambition of national, European and international policies and conventions.

Contributing to Europe’s competitiveness and the European Green Deal, the topic aims to give support to the development and implementation of EU policies, including environmental policies (notably those related to biodiversity) through knowledge generation, to guide governance, and help implementing the simplification agenda.

It supports the evolution of the long-term strategic research agenda for earth observation by engaging with EO stakeholders.

Empowering the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development

Closed

Code: 39203 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2026-03-GOVERNANCE-03 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 14/01/2026 | End submission calls: 15/04/2026

The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) aims at mobilising the global scientific community, policymakers, industry, and civil society to advance ocean science and generate knowledge that supports the sustainable management of the ocean. The initiative aims to reverse the decline in ocean health and ensure that ocean science can fully support countries in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

This topic aims at further consolidating international cooperation, through European Leadership, and at ensuring that key processes, initiatives and structures that have been put in place through the Decade continue after its end.

New or enhanced Innovative Advanced Materials (IAM) enabled sensing functionality (RIA)

Closed

Code: 39199 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL4-2026-05-MAT-PROD-25 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Digital, Industry & Space (Cluster 4)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 15/01/2026 | End submission calls: 15/04/2026

Proposals should address at least one of the following two areas.

A. IAM-enabled multifunctional surfaces able to detect and respond to changes in the environment, such as temperature, pH, moisture, microbiological or chemical pollutants, concentration of chemical species in air, gases and liquids, and converting these signals into measurable outputs. Such surfaces should demonstrate high performance in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, response time, durability and cost-effectiveness. Proposals should target applications such as environmental and ecosystems monitoring, as well as health monitoring.

B. The development of enhanced IAM-based sensor demonstrators, that enable miniaturization and integration into application systems e.g. into portable IoT devices, lightweight wearables and wearable systems. These sensors must meet key performance requirements, e.g. compatibility with silicon technology, operation in real conditions with low power consumption, high sensitivity (low limit of detection and/or high signal to noise ratio), high selectivity and fast detection speed.

Developing and demonstrating core technologies for Virtual Worlds and Web 4.0 (IA) (Virtual worlds Partnership)

Closed

Code: 39196 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-HUMAN-01 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Digital, Industry & Space (Cluster 4)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 15/01/2026 | End submission calls: 15/04/2026

Proposals will focus on and address the following:

• Asset and scene creation technology evolving in parallel to enable the generation of a human-centric, highly detailed and realistic environments to interact with,
• Use of Generative AI for more personalised and natural experiences,
• Visualisation and interaction through innovative immersive technologies to enhance the user experience through a seamless, inclusive and immersive involvement,
• Full integration and interoperability of XR and immersive domains and applications (including e.g. Digital Twins),
• Integration of XR applications and components with Telco-Cloud-to-Edge Continuum components, addressing challenges related to resource availability and reliability, while also balancing the requirements of rapid response time, spatial computing, contextual awareness and smart network functions.

Open Internet Stack Sovereign Solutions (RIA)

Closed

Code: 39193 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DATA-02 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Digital, Industry & Space (Cluster 4)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 15/01/2026 | End submission calls: 15/04/2026

Proposals should address one or several of the following technology areas:

• Network and Transport technologies including for example routing and virtual private networks, survivable mesh technologies.
• Sovereign operating systems and firmware (including smartphones).
• Open Source software productivity and supply chain technologies such as federated forges, independent and cross-platform development framework.

Efficient and compliant access to and use of data (IA) (AI, Data and Robotics partnership)

Closed

Code: 39190 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DATA-06 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Digital, Industry & Space (Cluster 4)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 15/01/2026 | End submission calls: 15/04/2026

The scope of this topic is to support the deployment of secure, interoperable, and scalable data management systems, ensuring seamless cross-sector data integration, automation of key processes, and compliance with EU frameworks.

Fostering 2-Dimensional Materials (2DM) based emerging and enabling technologies (CSA)

Closed

Code: 39187 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-17 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Digital, Industry & Space (Cluster 4)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 15/01/2026 | End submission calls: 15/04/2026

Proposals should provide key support functions fostering a dynamic R&I community in 2DM-based emerging and enabling technologies, facilitating synergies and collaboration among relevant EU-funded projects – including those of the Graphene Flagship – and associated entities.

Large-Scale Photonic Quantum Computing Platform Technologies (RIA)

Closed

Code: 39184 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-18 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Digital, Industry & Space (Cluster 4)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 15/01/2026 | End submission calls: 15/04/2026

Proposals for this topic are expected to be led by a startup with demonstrated expertise in photonic quantum computing.

The startup should collaborate with relevant academic, industrial, and RTO partners to ensure both technological depth and market orientation.

The consortium should also include at least one major end-user whose operational needs will shape the platform design, and whose infrastructure will host the field demonstration of the project’s results.

Web 4.0 architectural framework and Open Internet Stack applications for virtual worlds (RIA)

Closed

Code: 39181 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-HUMAN-02 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Digital, Industry & Space (Cluster 4)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 15/01/2026 | End submission calls: 15/04/2026

Proposals should address one of the following areas and should clearly identify the area addressed.

1/ “Architectural Framework” area

Develop a human-centric Web 4.0 architectural framework encompassing interoperable layers from open hardware, web, AI agents, up to immersive and decentralised applications, utilizing cross-platform digital commons developed by European innovators (SMEs, start-ups, academia). Proposals should demonstrate immersive multi-modal user interaction and should enhance trust, privacy, portability, and advanced identity management, facilitating deployment of the EU Wallet while optimizing the balance between decentralization, security, and energy efficiency with verifiable metrics.

2/ “Applications” area

Proposals will cover the one or more of the following technologies:

• Alternative decentralised applications and services such as synchronous and asynchronous messaging, videoconferencing, collaboration and groupware or social media that can be exploited through Virtual Worlds technologies, including immersion and interaction.
• App-stores (incl. web-based) adapted for Virtual Worlds
• Shared, robust and trustworthy cross-technology Virtual Worlds for user and attribute management

Proposals will have to demonstrate (1) technical maturity in terms of scalability, resiliency, alignment with standards (2) critical mass of communities actively supporting the development (3) evidence of interest from users and deployers of the solutions.