Accelerating the development of breeding tools for perennial crops, specifically fruits and nuts

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Code: 39254 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-04 | 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: 14/04/2026

Despite the crucial role that woody perennial crops such as fruits and nuts play in our diets, as well as their importance for global economies, biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation, traditional breeding methods for these crops remain slow and labour-intensive due to long gestation periods (juvenile phase) and complex genetics.

This hinders the timely development of perennial breeds to cope with challenges like climate change, pests and diseases, impacting among others crop productivity. Developing user-friendly tools that can be effectively transferred to breeders will boost the impact and efficiency of breeding programs for perennial crops.

Boosting plant health and reducing losses on farm and during storage for sustainable growth in Africa (FNSSA)

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Code: 39252 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-13 | 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: 14/04/2026

Plant pests affecting crops in the field and/or harvests during storage are an important burden to food security, contributing to significant food losses in Africa. These can also affect internal markets and trade.

It is thus crucial to tackle the impact of plant pests in an integrated manner, while ensuring this is done through technologies and practices fostering agricultural sustainability, resilience to climate change and safeguarding biodiversity.

Tackling pesticide resistance: early detection, management strategies, and foresight

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Code: 39249 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-02 | 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: 14/04/2026

Agriculture and forestry face a growing challenge from the dual threat of a shrinking portfolio of active substances and increasing pests resistance to treatments.

Climate change compounds this issue by enabling pests to survive milder winters, expand their ranges, and increase their exposure to pesticides—accelerating the development of resistance.

Addressing this complex issue requires a comprehensive, science-based systemic approach that integrates early detection, adaptive management, and long-term foresight to reduce resistance risks and strengthen the sustainability and resilience of agriculture and forestry.

It is also relevant to acknowledge that while pesticides are important short-term solutions, the long-term solutions require shifts in current agriculture or forestry practices and system-level transformations within agri-food systems that would boost the resilience of these production environments, while preserving biodiversity.

Integrating a holistic perspective in microbiome research for resilient, competitive and sustainable food systems

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Code: 39246 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-11 | 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: 14/04/2026

Microbiomes hold immense potential for food systems applications, but microbiomes are often studied in siloes or one ecosystem at a time. Unlocking the functional diversity of food microbiomes to help develop innovative applications requires a systems approach.

The topic is relevant to the EU policies related to the Commission communication on: Building the future with nature: Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU, the Life Science Strategy, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the Zero Pollution Action Plan, the EU strategy on research and technology infrastructure, the R&I Food 2030 Framework and the policies related to the digital transition (e.g. AI Act, etc) and contributes to climate action and biodiversity goals.

Sustainable and healthy diets for cardiovascular diseases prevention with the support of digital applications

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Code: 39243 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-09 | 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: 14/04/2026

The topic is relevant to the EU policies related to the ‘Healthier Together’ initiative, the Commission Communication on the European Health Union and the Council conclusions on the improvement of cardiovascular health in the European Union, the R&I Food 2030 framework and the Strategy for European Life Sciences.

Boosting sustainable competitiveness in rural areas through innovation

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Code: 39240 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-COMMUNITIES-01 | 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: 14/04/2026

The projects under this topic are relevant to the EU policies related to the long-term vision for EU’s rural areas, the vision for agriculture and food and its objective to foster fair living and working conditions in vibrant rural areas, climate objectives, as well as the competitiveness compass which, among its three core areas for action, aims at closing the innovation gap for the EU to boost its competitiveness.

Regaining competitiveness is essential to ensuring long-term prosperity in the EU. However, not all territories have equal access to resources and opportunities. Efforts to enhance competitiveness must therefore also prioritise environmental and social sustainability ensuring that neither nature nor people are left behind in the pursuit of economic growth.

Although rural areas often possess natural resources and are essential to support the provision of ecosystem services, they frequently face societal (e.g., declining and ageing populations, social exclusion and inequality) and market failures (e.g., under-provision of essential services, limited access to finance and infrastructure, digital divide, labour market mismatches) that hinder sustainable development, social inclusion, and competitiveness.

Towards the water infrastructures of the future

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Code: 39237 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-CLIMATE-02 | 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: 14/04/2026

Water infrastructures both for drinking water supply and wastewater collection and treatment suffer from a lack of sufficient and continuous investment across Europe. Their conditions are evolving differently depending on the investment capacity of local authorities and/or water companies, as well as the climate and pollution conditions they are exposed to. They are often not flexible enough to adapt to a changing and increasingly unpredictable environment and lack of appropriate monitoring to properly understand their functioning in various operating conditions. On the treatment side, the technological processes are not always coping with pollution load variation or new contaminants threatening human health and downstream ecosystems. They are also more and more exposed to the risk of malicious attacks, being of human or cyber nature.

With the effect of climate change as well as the emergence of new threats from chemical, biological, human and cyber origins, it is necessary to develop and test a set of tools to ensure that water and sanitation provision is resilient now and for the future, building on the solutions that emerged in the sector or adapted from other sectors.

Towards more effective, fair and coherent policies for climate change mitigation and adaptation in agriculture and forestry

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Code: 39234 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-CLIMATE-01 | 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: 14/04/2026

Agriculture and forestry are among the sectors most directly impacted by climate change, while also playing important roles in its mitigation, through greenhouse gas emissions, their reduction and carbon removals from the atmosphere. These roles are addressed in horizontal EU climate policies such as the Regulations on Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF)  and on Effort-sharing or the forthcoming Climate Adaptation Plan, as well as in sectoral policies, most notably the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) with a host of relevant rules and voluntary measures.

The climate performance in agriculture and forestry is indirectly also affected by many other policies and measures, be they sectoral (e.g., on market organisation or on income support) or horizontal (e.g., on competitiveness). Depending on their design and application, climate policies in turn also have impacts beyond their immediate objectives, e.g. on competitiveness, income distribution, and biodiversity and nature protection. Apart from policies applicable in the EU and its Member States and in Associated Countries, the outcomes in each of these jurisdictions are also impacted by rules and standards applied in other parts of the world, through international markets and other transboundary effects.

Supporting All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance

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Code: 39231 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2026-03-GOVERNANCE-04 | 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

Tackling ocean and coastal challenges for the long term requires creating new knowledge, community acceptance and engagement, difficult decisions and strategic investments. This requires cooperation across generations, cultures, geographies and sectors.

Building on past cooperative efforts under the Galway and Belém Statements, the AAORIA Declaration, and the related actions from successive EU Framework Programmes, proposals should contribute to upscaling collaboration across the Atlantic Ocean and promote its sustainable management, including its northern and southern parts and links to polar areas. This includes connecting scientists, stakeholders from public and private sectors, indigenous communities, civil society, and various generations, sectors, and disciplines with data, knowledge, expertise, and resources for the benefit All-Atlantic community. This also requires that proposals develop an All-Atlantic Intergenerational Programme to open access to knowledge, effective knowledge transfer, and stakeholder engagement in an intergenerational context.

Additional activities for the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership (SBEP)

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Code: 39228 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2026-03-GOVERNANCE-01 | 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 objective of this action is to continue to provide support to the European Partnership for a climate-neutral, sustainable and productive Blue Economy (SBEP) identified in the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2021-2024 and first implemented under the topic HORIZON-CL6-2022-GOVERNANCE-01-02: European Partnership for a climate neutral, sustainable and productive Blue Economy, and in particular to fund additional activities (which may also be undertaken by additional partners) in view of its intended scope and duration, and in accordance with Article 24(2) of the Horizon Europe Regulation.

Embracing innovation in agriculture by peer-to-peer learning via on farm-demonstrations and cost-benefit analysis

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Code: 39226 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2026-03-GOVERNANCE-10 | 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

On-farm demonstrations can be crucial for enabling innovation uptake in agriculture, as they provide a platform for showcasing and evaluating new practices, but also serve as an effective avenue for peer-to-peer (or farmer to farmer) learning, leading to skill empowerment, higher adoption rates and increased practice change compared to the traditional top-down approaches.

By engaging in on-farm demonstrations, farmers are better positioned to assess the applicability of innovative practices or tools. Complementing on-farm demonstrations with comprehensive cost-benefit analyses further empowers farmers, allowing them to quantitively evaluate the costs and benefits associated with the adoption of new solutions/practices. This approach should not only promote informed decision-making but also accelerate the uptake and integration of innovative practices across the agricultural sector.

Proposals should either address Area A: Crop production systems, or Area B: Livestock and mixed production systems. The area (A or B) should be clearly indicated in the proposal.

Improving analytical capacity and understanding of social drivers in agriculture to better assess social sustainability in the sector

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Code: 39223 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2026-03-GOVERNANCE-02 | 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

Knowledge gaps exist between agricultural policy priorities and data infrastructure to evaluate social sustainability issues, particularly regarding farmers.

Often social issues are addressed by various policy instruments from different policy areas, but there are inconsistencies, for example in the way that target groups are identified and measured in the statistics collected at European level. A framing of the social dimension of agriculture is necessary to complement the existing environmental and economic aspects of sustainability of assessment tools, strategies and policies for agriculture in the EU.

Social issues may remain hidden if there is no consistent data able to capture them. Social aspects seem to be excluded from most of the analytical tools available. Greater understanding of social issues and the best policy approaches to address them requires appropriate data to develop better indicators and measurement that can be integrated into analytical tools.

Successful proposals should therefore directly and/ or indirectly contribute to the enhancement of the sustainability performance of the sector, including social sustainability, and competitiveness in agriculture.

Increasing knowledge flows to practice within AKIS via EU thematic knowledge hubs

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Code: 39218 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL6-2026-03-GOVERNANCE-09 | 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

There is a growing need to disseminate practical knowledge on challenges and opportunities for agriculture, forestry and rural areas stemming from both scientific-research and practical experience, and to link it to relevant actors through enhanced thematic collaboration between researchers, advisors and farmers.

EU thematic knowledge hubs should transform existing and new knowledge into accessible formats for advisors and targeted end-users, focusing on dissemination over collection. By blending the strengths of thematic and advisory networks, these hubs should offer services to widely disseminate information on specific themes among practitioners on the ground, contributing to a well-informed, and engaged AKIS community. Proposals should set up these hubs as a go-to source for valuable content, facilitating access to thematic research findings, innovative solutions, and best practices, empowering advisors with cutting-edge knowledge and providing ample opportunities of collaboration and cross-fertilization amongst the different AKIS actors.

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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)

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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)

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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.