Sustainable, bio-based alternatives for crop protection

Closed

Programme Category

EU Competitive Programmes

Programme Name

Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking

Programme Description

The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) is a €2 billion partnership between the European Union and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) that funds projects advancing competitive circular bio-based industries in Europe.

CBE JU is operating under the rules of Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation programme, for the 2021-2031 period. The partnership is building on the success of its predecessor, the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU), while addressing the current challenges facing the industry.

 

Programme Details

Identifier Code

HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-RIA-03

Call

Sustainable, bio-based alternatives for crop protection

Summary

Plant protection products (PPPs) are used to protect crops and other plants from pests and diseases.
Biopesticides are a promising alternative to chemical synthetic pesticides and tend to have lower health and environmental risks.

The development of sustainable bio-based alternatives to chemical synthetic pesticides in the EU remains challenging, as each feedstock source requires specific considerations on logistics, processing and transformation technologies, as well as final product development and validation. In addition, food and feed safety as well as human health aspects need to be fully elaborated to enable a placing on the market of the end-products.

Moreover, the lack of alternatives to deal with some pests and diseases affect agricultural sustainability and poses a challenge for food security. Further efforts will be needed to support farmers in the transition to achieve the ambitious targets of the Farm to Fork Strategy. In addition, climate change is altering pests’ behaviour and geographical distribution, which may further increase the risk of introducing pests to new areas and the severity of the impact.

Detailed Call Description

Proposals under this topic should:

  • Develop and test innovative processes for obtaining safe and sustainable bio-based alternatives for crop protection. Development of fertilisers (including biostimulants) is not in scope but proposals can explore synergistic strategies employing crop protection products and fertilisers.
  • Assess the potential risks and benefits of the chosen alternative in view of safety and sustainability in accordance with established scientific risk assessment methodologies and relevant EU regulatory frameworks related to their manufacturing and placing on the market. In addition, include a task to integrate a prospective assessment based on the safe-and-sustainable-by-design (SSbD) framework, developed by the European Commission, for assessing the safety and sustainability of chemicals and materials. Under this context, projects are expected to contribute with and develop recommendations that can advance further the application of the SSbD framework. Where applicable, a comparison with the fossil-based state-of-the-art counterparts should be added.
  • Develop and test the effectiveness of alternatives to chemical synthetic pesticides for selected crops covering a variety of climatic and soil conditions. Address innovative solutions for product delivery on field, including precision farming approaches through enabling digital technologies and/or formulation and optimisation aspects to ensure controlled release at an optimal dosage.
  • Implement a participatory approach fostering the cooperating among farmers and bio-based industries in Europe including the exchange of knowledge and best practices, capacity building, training and education activities enabling farmers/growers to adopt the proposed solution reducing the use and risk of chemical synthetic products for crop protection.

Call Total Budget

€10 million

Thematic Categories

  • Environment and Climate Change
  • Industry
  • Research, Technological Development and Innovation

Eligibility for Participation

  • Educational Institutions
  • Other Beneficiaries
  • Producer Associations
  • Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions

Eligibility For Participation Notes

Proposals must implement the multi-actor approach and ensure adequate involvement of all key actors in the value chains relevant for this topic, across the sustainable circular bio-based system in particular primary biomass producers, academic community and the bio-based industry.

Call Opening Date

24/04/2024

Call Closing Date

18/09/2024