PRIMA – Section 1 Food Value-chain in the Nexus 2024 Topic 1.3.1 (IA) – Developing cost-effective and sustainable technologies adapted to Mediterranean Food Systems to decrease food loss and waste
Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
PRIMA – Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area is the most ambitious joint programme to be undertaken in the frame of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation.
The overall objective of the PRIMA programme is to build research and innovation capacities and to develop knowledge and common innovative solutions for agro-food systems, to make them sustainable, and for integrated water provision and management in the Mediterranean area, to make those systems and that provision and management more climate resilient, efficient, cost-effective and environmentally and socially sustainable, and to contribute to solving water scarcity, food security, nutrition, health, well-being and migration problems upstream.
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
This Call aims to support the deployment and demonstration of sustainable solutions to reduce food losses and waste, save energy, and enhance food safety during postharvest activities, including transportation, storage, and processing. The specific focus is on plant-based food and waste. These solutions should be scalable, sustainable, cost-effective, and tailored to smallholders in rural areas with limited access to electricity.
Detailed Call Description
Proposals should implement processes and technologies adapted to Mediterranean food systems and climate conditions, ensuring a decrease in food losses and waste, prolonging food shelf-life, and enhancing food safety in different regions of the Mediterranean. The use of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, can provide a reliable energy source, especially in remote areas with limited access to electricity. Biomass by-products from agri-food activities can also serve as a sustainable energy source for processing and storage. Proposals could explore innovative environmentally friendly green technologies, including active and intelligent packaging, as desirable alternatives to conventional preservation techniques to reduce their negative impact on the environment. It is crucial to ensure that green technologies used for food preservation are adapted to the specific conditions of the Mediterranean region and are cost-effective enough to be adopted by smallholders.
Proposals should include training and mobility initiatives to enhance the capacity of smallholders, with particular attention to women, to effectively adopt and implement sustainable solutions. To facilitate the adoption of green technologies for food preservation, it is essential to implement policy recommendations that can help reduce barriers and promote accessibility, especially for smallholders. Proposals should also analyse the economic, social, and environmental impact of renewable-based solutions and green technologies on reducing food losses and waste and improving food quality, including at the nutraceutical and sensorial levels.
Projects should also produce a joint policy brief that aligns with the call’s scope and objectives with the aim to translate the main lessons learnt, knowledge and evidence generated through project work into key messages for policy makers. Other forms of collaboration, including data sharing, communication and dissemination, joint deliverables, events, etc., between funded projects are strongly encouraged.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
The funding rate is 70%, except for non-profit legal entities in which case the funding rate is 100%.
PRIMA considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of €4.550.000, would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.
Thematic Categories
- Agriculture - Food
- Energy
- Environment and Climate Change
- Regional Development
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
Eligibility for Participation
- Central Government
- International Organisations
- Large Enterprises
- Legal Entities
- Local Authorities
- Other Beneficiaries
- Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
- State-owned Enterprises
Eligibility For Participation Notes
Legal entities established in the following countries and territories will be eligible to receive funding through PRIMA grants (Participating States): Algeria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, Tunisia and Turkey.
In addition, the following entities can also receive funding through PRIMA grants:
- any legal entity created under the European Union law;
- an international European interest organisation, as defined in point (12) of Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1290/2013;
- any international organisation OR any legal entity established in countries not listed above, provided that at least one of the following conditions is fulfilled:
- participation is deemed to be essential for carrying out the action (access to unique know-how, access to research infrastructures, access to geographical environments, involving key partners in emerging markets, access to data, etc.);
- such funding is provided under a bilateral scientific and technological agreement or any other arrangement between the Union and the international organisation or, for entities established in a country that is not a Participating State, the country in which the legal entity is established.
Participants from countries not listed above can participate, but they must fund their participation.
Consortium composition:
At least 4 legal entities established in at least 3 different countries considered as Participating States. Each of the three must be established in a different country considered to be PRIMA Participating State by submission deadline under the relevant call, out of which:
- at least 1 must be established in an EU Member State or a third country associated to Horizon 2020 and not being a Mediterranean Partner Country (MPC); and
- at least 2 must be established in a third country bordering the Mediterranean Sea (MPC).
All legal entities must be independent of each other.
MPC countries: Algeria, Jordan, Israel, Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey.
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
National Contact Point(s)
Research and Innovation Foundation
Competent RIF Officer:
Savvia Alexandraki
Email: salexandraki@research.org.cy
Τelephone: +357 22205070
EU Contact Point
Food Value Chain for the Nexus:
Mohamed Ahmed Wageih
Email: mohamed.wageih@prima-med.org