Breeding for resilience: enhancing multi-stress tolerance in crops

Closed

Code: 36730 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-02-two-stage | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Cluster 6)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 05/05/2025 | End submission calls: 04/09/2025

Crop production faces significant challenges due to climate change and the need to adopt low-input practices, including efficient water use, to reduce the environmental impact while ensuring food security. Issues such as salinity, extreme weather conditions like droughts, waterlogging, high temperatures, and emerging patterns of pests and diseases severely impact crops, resulting in reduced productivity and yield losses. Crop responses to multiple stresses differ from their responses to single stresses. Therefore, attention should be given to enhancing crop tolerance to combinations of multiple abiotic and biotic stresses, thus better reflecting real-life agricultural conditions.

To address these challenges, it is crucial to evaluate local crop varieties, which are often better adapted to specific environmental conditions and stresses. Identifying local varieties with high plasticity enhances crop resilience and agro-biodiversity. Developing agro-ecological practices to improve stress tolerance will further support these efforts, promoting low-input practices and enhancing the overall adaptability of agricultural systems. Additionally, broad-spectrum strategies for improving stress tolerance in crops should be developed. Smart and future-proof breeding programmes need to systematically consider characteristics that enhance crop resilience and adaptation to these demands.

Harmonising and optimising composting plants performances in Europe

Closed

Code: 36729 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-12 | 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 Waste Framework Directive allows for the collection of waste that meets the relevant standards for packaging that can be recovered through composting and biodegradation, together with bio-waste. For example, the collection of bio-waste with industrially compostable plastic bags is encouraged (Communication on the “EU Policy Framework for Bio-based, Biodegradable and Compostable Plastics” COM(2022). Harmonisation of the performances of industrial composting plants in the EU would help meeting the targets for bio-waste collection and the quality of resulting compost.

Novel circular business models to enable the just transition to a sustainable and circular economy

Closed

Code: 36725 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-01 | 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 green transition and the move to a circular economy will require changes not only in the way materials are used and products are designed, but also in the way businesses operate and business models are shaped. The majority of current business models and the global economic and trading system are based on the linear and unsustainable use of materials and products.

This results in ever-increasing consumption, resource depletion, increased CO2 emissions and environmental degradation, as well as unwanted waste generation.

The transition to a sustainable, competitive and circular economy requires transformational changes in material use and corporate activities, with innovative business models capable of triggering sustainable consumption behaviours and market preferences.

Provide digital solutions tailored to small and medium-sized farms to monitor and sustainably manage agricultural inputs and natural resources

Closed

Code: 36722 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-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

A key challenge for the agricultural sector is to provide food in a context of increasing global population, climate change and price volatility while reducing pollution and preserving natural resources and biodiversity for future generations. Farmers should be able to adopt innovative solutions to increase the efficiency and competitiveness of the farming sector while lowering its environmental footprint. However, still many farmers, particularly small and medium-sized ones, do not have easy access to monitoring and decision support systems and tools fed with data reflecting local conditions and farm characteristics.

Digital and data technologies offer solutions to monitor environmental parameters (e.g. soil conditions, water and air quality, nutrients content and availability) in a cost-efficient manner while supporting decision-making of natural resources and inputs management.

Towards a comprehensive European strategy to assess and monitor aquatic litter including plastic and microplastic pollution

Closed

Code: 36719 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-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: 17/09/2025

The monitoring and assessment of litter including plastic, microplastic and nanoplastic pollution in Europe’s marine and freshwater environment remains fragmented and diverse, although progress has been made under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) for monitoring quantities and impacts of marine litter and harmonised guidance for monitoring has been produced. However, large discrepancies between countries, marine regions, litter types and environmental compartments can still be observed and large data and knowledge gaps persist on the sources, pathways, distribution and concentrations of litter in marine and freshwater, which are impeding comprehensive assessments of the extent of litter pollution including microplastics in EU waters. Different approaches for assessing and monitoring litter pollution in freshwater and marine environments are further hindering such assessments.

Despite the large amount of literature and recent scientific advancements to develop reliable and harmonised analytical research methodologies, guidance, protocols and reference materials, pan-European approaches and strategies that set out what to measure, where to measure, when to measure and how to measure are missing.

Journalism Science Alliance – call 1

Closed

Code: 36706 | Identifier Code: JSA | Programme name: 20613 | Start submission calls: 02/06/2025 | End submission calls: 04/08/2025

The Journalism Science Alliance (JSA) is a programme co-funded by the EU’s Creative Europe Programme. JSA delivers grant funding, training, mentoring and networking to drive the production of local, regional, and transnational investigative journalism backed by science, and enhance cross-sectoral collaboration between journalism and research institutions. Supported by training and mentorship provided by JSA, journalists and scientists will work together to uncover new topics of public interest that will reach and engage (new) audiences for investigative journalism, while serving public interest across Europe. The Journalism Science Alliance is managed by a consortium led by NOVA University Lisbon, in partnership with the European Journalism Centre (EJC).

The scope of the call is intentionally wide and inclusive. Applicants are free to propose projects on virtually any topic of public interest where scientific evidence is relevant, needed, or can add depth and credibility.

EP PerMed Education Call 2025: The EP PerMed Guide to Personalised Medicine for Healthcare Professionals

Closed

Code: 36704 | Identifier Code: EP PerMed | Programme name: 20613 | Start submission calls: 04/06/2025 | End submission calls: 09/09/2025

The objective of this call is to provide grants to support the delivery and development of educational content aimed at health care professionals (HCPs) for the implementation of personalised medicine (PM).

Gaps in HCPs’ knowledge and skills in PM have been identified as one of the key barriers to PM implementation. This initiative will strengthen HCPs’ ability to integrate PM into their daily practice by ensuring that they have the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies.

The scope of this call includes general and specialized training on PM and its application in clinical practice, interdisciplinary collaboration among HCPs, and effective communication between HCPs and patients. The courses will be designed and implemented in collaboration between selected consortia and EP PerMed.

Innovative and advanced monitoring and modelling systems for revised air quality policies

Closed

Code: 36698 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-01 | 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 revised Air Quality Directive (AAQD) complements the European Green Deal and is a key action in the Commission’s Zero Pollution Action Plan.

It aims to bring EU air quality standards more closely in line with WHO recommendations and to better support national and local authorities in achieving cleaner air by strengthening air quality monitoring and modelling and improving air quality.

To achieve these objectives, several challenges will need to be overcome in the coming years, in particular in terms of improving the accuracy, comparability and character of real-time monitoring and modelling for air quality assessment in Member States and associated countries, in relation to already regulated air pollutants subject to stricter limit values (the main pollutants include PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, benzene and O3) and air pollutants of concern (such as ultra fine particles – including nanoparticles of all kinds, black carbon, volatile organic compounds, ammonia, oxidising potential of particles) and the distribution of their sources.

Development and testing of Extended Producer Responsibility schemes (EPR) within the priority Circular Economy Action Plan value chains

Closed

Code: 36694 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-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: 17/09/2025

The 2020 circular economy action plan introduces measures that aim at making sustainable products the norm, contributing to the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality target and to halt biodiversity loss. It focuses on resource-intensive sectors with the highest circularity potential such as textiles, plastics, packaging, electronics including ICT products, furniture and construction products.

EPR schemes can contribute to improve circularity gaps in key product value chains with high circularity potential, given its full lifecycle approach. They make producers responsible for the entire lifecycle of the products made available on the market, from the design-phase up to their end of life, including waste collection and recycling.

Consumption patterns and environmental awareness as enablers of transition to circular economy

Closed

Code: 36692 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-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

The transition to a circular economy is key to reducing pressures on natural resources. It is also a prerequisite to achieve the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality target and to halt biodiversity loss. Sustainable consumption and production are key elements in the societal transition to a competitive circular and sustainable economy. Decoupling economic activities and human well-being from natural resource use and environmental impacts is essential and necessary. As part of the transition, with the emergence of circular and sustainable products, consumers will play an even more important role in making sustainable choices. Consumer empowerment encourages sustainable choices, which in return contribute to pollution reduction and climate neutrality.

#BeActive EU Sport Awards

Closed

Code: 36675 | Identifier Code: ERASMUS-SPORT-2025-EU-AWARDS | Programme name: 2918 | Start submission calls: 11/06/2025 | End submission calls: 24/09/2025

The #BeActive EU Sport Awards 2025 (hereafter referred to as the ‘Awards’) aim to reward and give visibility to activities that have successfully promoted sport and physical activity as means to support health, inclusion, inter-generational dialogue, volunteering and peace across Europe. Amongst others, the competition contributes to the promotion of sustainable and green sport.

Depending on the prize category, activities may focus on educational establishments, workplaces or local communities. Initiatives can also aim to overcome barriers to sport participation for people with fewer opportunities. Additionally, the competition welcomes initiatives that support inter-generational connections through the practice of sport and physical activity and is also open to actions that address social challenges, empower disadvantaged groups and foster community engagement through volunteering in sport.

Besides rewarding specific organisations, the awards will also give visibility and support the dissemination of innovative ideas, activities and best practices throughout Europe.

BioAgora – Second BioAgora Cascade Funding Call: Co-design of the SPSI Methodological Infrastructure of the Future Science Service for Biodiversity (SSBD)

Closed

Code: 36673 | Identifier Code: BioAgora | Programme name: 20613 | Start submission calls: 27/05/2025 | End submission calls: 31/08/2025

BioAgora is a collaborative European project funded by the Horizon Europe programme that aims to connect research results on biodiversity to the needs of decision-making in a targeted dialogue between scientists, other knowledge holders and policy actors. Its main outcome will be the development of a fair and functional Science Service for Biodiversity (SSBD), which will orchestrate processes and initiatives at the science‐policy society interface (SPSI) at the European level by providing the scientific pillar of the EU’s Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity.