Additional activities for the European partnership on animal health and welfare

The EU funding opportunity HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-02 focuses on additional activities for the European partnership on animal health and welfare. It is part of the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically under Cluster 6. The call opened on May 6, 2025, with a submission deadline of September 16, 2025.

Eligible applicants must come from a pre-existing consortium funded under HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01-2, which may include research organizations, funding bodies, ministries, and other relevant entities from EU Member States and associated countries. While the existing consortium submits the proposal, new partners, especially from underrepresented countries, are encouraged to join.

This grant operates as a co-fund action, with the EU covering 50% of a total budget of €360 million, allowing for flexibility in funding allocations across various projects and activities focused on animal health, welfare, and sustainable agricultural practices. The partnership emphasizes infectious disease control, antimicrobial resistance reduction, and the overarching "Farm to Fork" strategy.

The project phase is designed for continuity and expansion of previous initiatives, focusing on research and innovation capabilities while providing financial support for third-party entities. The application process requires a single-stage proposal submission.

The evaluation process takes into account the existing activities, the strategic objectives defined by the partnership, and the integration of new activities and partners into the ongoing framework. Specific eligibility criteria, including provisions for non-EU countries and project requirements, are outlined in the grant documentation.

To successfully participate, proposals should be comprehensive, detailing both internal and external activities aimed at delivering practical solutions and policy support within the field of animal health and welfare. The overall objective is to leverage co-funding resources to enhance research collaboration and innovative practices across Europe.

This is a description of the EU funding opportunity HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-02, titled "Additional activities for the European partnership on animal health and welfare". This opportunity falls under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) Programme, specifically Cluster 6 Call 02, and is a single-stage call. The type of action is HORIZON-COFUND, which stands for HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions, and the Model Grant Agreement (MGA) type is HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]. The call opened for submission on May 6, 2025, and the deadline for submission is September 16, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcome of the successful proposal is to further contribute to the outcomes specified in topic HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01-2: European partnership on animal health and welfare, for continuation of the activities in line with already agreed outcomes.

The scope of this action is to continue providing support to the European partnership on animal health and welfare, identified in the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2021-2024. It was first implemented under topic HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01-2 and aims to fund additional activities, potentially involving new partners, in accordance with Article 24(2) of the Horizon Europe Regulation.

The consortium that received funding under HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01-2 is uniquely positioned to submit a proposal for this continuation. This consortium not only proposed the partnership during the Horizon Europe strategic planning but has also been actively implementing it through a co-funded call in 2024 and various internal activities, including research projects. They possess unique expertise related to the partnership's objectives and activities, particularly concerning financial support to third parties and internal activities. Another consortium would likely face significant disruptions in attempting to continue these activities.

The proposal should align with the partnership’s strategic research and innovation agenda. Activities should balance financial support to third parties with internal activities like research projects, integrative activities, networking, and training. The partnership should aim to deliver ready-to-use tools, solutions, and innovations, promote the uptake of results by relevant stakeholders (farmers, veterinarians, etc.), and provide science-based policy advisory activities. The proposal should focus on additional priority activities and, where justified, on continuing ongoing activities.

The partnership is encouraged to include additional partners, especially from Member States and Associated countries not already involved in the consortium funded under HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01-2.

The partnership should pool financial resources from participating national or regional research programs to organize joint calls for transnational proposals, resulting in grants to third parties. Ample time should be allocated for running these co-funded projects.

Specific activities to strengthen complementarities with related Horizon Europe partnerships and enhance international collaborations should also be described.

The evaluation of proposals will consider the existing context, the scope of the initial evaluation, and related obligations in the grant agreement.

Given that this action continues topic HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01-2 and involves amending an existing grant agreement, the proposal should include a separate document detailing how additional activities and partners will be integrated into the grant agreement.

Regarding admissibility conditions, proposal page limits and layout are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and in Part B of the Application Form.

Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific provisions exist for non-EU/non-Associated Countries, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Other eligible conditions include the requirement to use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS for projects involving satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation, and timing data. The proposal must be submitted by the coordinator of the consortium funded under HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01-2, although additional partners can be included.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

The evaluation and award process involves grant agreement amendment preparations. If successful, the coordinator of the existing consortium will be invited to submit an amendment to the grant agreement on behalf of the beneficiaries. Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes, while submission and evaluation processes are detailed in Annex F and the Online Manual. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is also described in Annex F.

This action will amend the grant agreement from topic HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01-2. The funding rate is 50% of eligible costs, justified by in-kind contributions and in-house activities. Beneficiaries can provide financial support to third parties (FSTP) in the form of grants, with a maximum amount of EUR 10 000 000 per third party for the duration of Horizon Europe. The starting date for grants may be retroactive to the submission date, with justified costs being eligible.

Application forms are available in the Submission System, using the standard application form (HE COFUND TOP-UP). Evaluation forms will be adapted from the standard evaluation form (HE COFUND). Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide, HE MGA, call-specific instructions, and the Annual Work Programme (HE COFUND).

Additional documents include: HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 1. General Introduction, HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 9. Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 14. General Annexes, HE Programme Guide, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview includes several topics under Cluster 6, with varying budgets and indicative numbers of grants. The topics are: HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-CLIMATE-01, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-CLIMATE-02, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-CLIMATE-03, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-CLIMATE-04, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-CLIMATE-05, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-COMMUNITIES-01, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-COMMUNITIES-02, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-COMMUNITIES-03, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-COMMUNITIES-04, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-01, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-02, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-03, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-04, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-05, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-06, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-07, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-08, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-09, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-10, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-11, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-12, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-13, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-14, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-15, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-16, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-17.

There are partner search announcements available for collaboration on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests.

To submit a proposal, access the Electronic Submission Service via the provided submission button, selecting the appropriate action type and model grant agreement.

In summary, this EU funding opportunity aims to continue supporting the European partnership on animal health and welfare by providing additional funding to the existing consortium. The focus is on aligning with the partnership's strategic agenda, balancing financial support to third parties with internal activities, and delivering practical tools and policy advice. The call is structured as a co-fund action, requiring the pooling of resources from various national and regional programs. The successful proposal will amend the existing grant agreement to incorporate new activities and partners. The call is specifically targeted at the consortium already implementing the partnership, making their unique expertise a key eligibility factor.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant type is primarily a consortium. Specifically, the coordinator of the consortium funded under HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01-2: European partnership on animal health and welfare is uniquely placed and required to submit the proposal. However, the opportunity also explicitly encourages the inclusion of additional partners, particularly from Member States and Associated countries not already in the existing consortium. Therefore, while the lead applicant is predetermined, the scope allows for a broader range of entities to participate as partners, including those from EU Member States, Associated countries, and potentially non-EU/non-Associated Countries with specific funding provisions. The types of organizations that could be part of the consortium include research institutions, universities, SMEs, large enterprises, NGOs, governmental bodies, and other stakeholders relevant to animal health and welfare, food systems, agriculture, and related sectors.

Funding Type: The primary funding type is a grant, specifically a co-fund action under the Horizon Europe Programme. This is indicated by the "HORIZON-COFUND HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions" designation. The action is intended to be implemented in the form of an amendment of the grant agreement concluded pursuant to topic HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01-2. The beneficiaries may also provide financial support to third parties (FSTP) in the form of grants.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium is required, although with a specific condition. The coordinator of the existing consortium funded under HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01-2 must submit the proposal. The inclusion of additional partners is strongly encouraged, especially those from Member States and Associated countries not already participating.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The primary geographic eligibility focuses on EU Member States and Associated countries. The opportunity also mentions that non-EU/non-Associated Countries may be eligible if they have specific provisions for funding participation in Horizon Europe projects. The partnership should seek to include additional partners, in particular from Member States and Associated countries not yet in the consortium funded under HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01-2.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: agriculture, food, animal health and welfare, research and innovation, and related policy advisory activities. The core theme revolves around the "Farm to Fork" strategy, emphasizing sustainable food systems, animal welfare, and the interconnectedness of farming, health, and the environment.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions EU Member States and Associated countries as areas from which additional partners should be sought. It also refers to "non-EU/non-Associated Countries" that may have specific funding provisions, indicating a potential, though less direct, eligibility.

Project Stage: The project stage is primarily continuation and expansion. The action aims to continue supporting the European partnership on animal health and welfare, building upon the work already initiated under HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01-2. The focus is on funding additional activities and potentially including new partners to broaden the partnership's scope and impact. Therefore, the project stage is best described as "scale-up" and "expansion" of existing activities, with an emphasis on implementation and delivering ready-to-use tools, solutions, and innovations.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from €2,000,000 to €50,000,000 for the year 2025. The indicative number of grants also varies, with some topics aiming to fund one project and others aiming to fund two or three. For the specific topic HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-02, the budget for 2025 is €40,000,000, and the indicative number of grants is 1.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process. The call opened on 06 May 2025, and the deadline for submission is 16 September 2025.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant. Beneficiaries may also provide financial support to third parties (FSTP) in the form of grants.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates can be inferred from the "Indicative number of grants" information provided for each topic. For example, a topic with a budget of €12,000,000 and an "around 60000002" indication aims to fund two projects, suggesting a higher success rate compared to topics aiming for only one grant. However, without knowing the expected number of applications, a precise success rate cannot be determined.

Co-funding Requirement: This is a co-fund action, meaning that the EU funding is intended to be combined with funding from other sources, such as national or regional research programs. The funding rate is 50% of the eligible costs. This is justified by the pooling of proposers' in-kind contributions and in-house activities and by the nature of activities to be performed.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call (HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-02) aims to provide continued support to the European partnership on animal health and welfare, building upon the existing framework established under HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01-2. The call is specifically targeted at the consortium that initially received funding, tasking them with submitting a proposal to continue and expand the partnership's activities. While the existing consortium is the primary applicant, the call encourages the inclusion of new partners, particularly those from EU Member States and Associated countries not yet involved. The funded activities should align with the partnership's strategic research and innovation agenda, focusing on delivering practical tools, solutions, and policy recommendations related to animal health and welfare, sustainable agriculture, and the broader "Farm to Fork" strategy. The funding mechanism is a co-fund action, requiring the pooling of financial resources from various national and regional programs. The selected project will receive a grant to support additional activities, including research, innovation, training, and networking, with a significant portion of the funding potentially allocated to financial support for third parties. The application process is a single-stage open call, with a submission deadline of 16 September 2025. The coordinator of the existing consortium is uniquely placed to apply, but the inclusion of additional partners is strongly encouraged to broaden the partnership's impact and reach.