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
Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) – is referred to as the wild cousins of cultivated crops – are a key asset for agrobiodiversity, sustainable agriculture and food security overall. CRWs contain genes for a multitude of useful traits such as tolerance to pest and diseases, resource efficiency and adaptability to more extreme weather conditions or nutritional quality. Their inherent genetic diversity together with the associated diversity of microbiota is a vast resource for developing more productive, nutritious and resilient crop varieties and for diversifying farming systems.
Despite their value, a wide range of CWRs are threatened and face pressures, e.g., from intensive agriculture, urbanisation, pollution and the effects of climate change. As a consequence, knowledge is lacking about the diversity that exists and precisely how that diversity may be used for crop improvement and in farming. More systematic efforts are needed to improve the conservation of CWR in –situ and ex-situ and increase their use in plant breeding and farming.
Detailed Call Description
Proposals should:
- review and increase our knowledge on the diversity, the conservation status (both in situ and ex situ), the threats, monitoring and the utilization of CWR in Europe; due account should be taken of the local knowledge of farmers, e.g., as regards the specific attributes of CWR resources, their integration in agro-ecosystems and methods for their management on-farm;
- promote the breath of taxa and genetic diversity of CWR in gene bank collections and improve their description and geno- and phenotypic characterisation;
- set-up pilots of genetic reserves for CWR under different types of management regimes and pedo-climatic conditions, and develop models for their long-term viability;
- unravel the genetic basis of valuable traits of CWR such as the resilience to different biotic and abiotic stresses or nutritional quality;
- develop high-quality genomic resources to promote the use of CWR in pre-breeding and breeding activities of formal and on-farm crop improvement programmes;
- promote the on-farm management and conservation of CRW genetic resources taking into account the adaptation of CWR to local conditions;
- carry out training activities and increase awareness of breeders, farmers, consumers and the various actors in value chains (e.g., the agri-food industry) about the value of CWR, including by carrying out on-farm demonstrations.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
100%
EU Contribution per project: €6,00 million
Thematic Categories
- Agriculture - Farming - Forestry
- Agriculture - Food
- Environment and Climate Change
- Land Development
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
- Rural development
Eligibility for Participation
- Consumer Organisations
- Farmers Unions
- Farmers, Agriculturalists
- Producer Associations
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
Eligibility For Participation Notes
Work under this topic should be carried out in various pedo-climatic zones and benefit both conventional and organic farming as reflected in the expertise of the consortia. Proposals must implement the “multi-actor approach”, and build partnerships across research, conservation, breeding, farming and business sectors, considering a balanced representation of partners from within the EU and Associated Countries.
Increase awareness of breeders, farmers, consumers.
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
National Contact Point(s)
Research and Innovation Foundation
29a Andrea Michalakopoulou Street, 1075 Nicosia
T.Th. 23422, 1683 Nicosia
+357 22205000
Email: support@research.org.cy
Contact Persons:
Marcia Trillidou
Scientific Officer A’
Email: trillidou@research.org.cy
Dr. Mary Economou
Scientific Officer
Email: meconomou@research.org.cy
(Publish Date: 13/02/2023-for internal use only)
EU Contact Point
European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/research-and-innovation_en#contact