AI-powered foodome characterization

The opportunity is a Horizon Europe grant under the initiative titled "AI-Powered Foodome Characterization," specifically identified as HORIZON-CL6-2027-02-FARM2FORK-08. It is categorized as a Horizon Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) with a total budget of €7,800,000, expected to fund one project aimed at enhancing the analysis of food composition and safety through artificial intelligence.

The call aims to address a significant limitation in current food research by developing AI tools capable of identifying, characterizing, and quantifying the complete set of compounds present in food samples, termed the "foodome." Presently, only about 150 food components are cataloged, while over 100,000 compounds remain unquantified. This shortfall hinders the predictive capability of nutritional science and the safety monitoring of food products.

Eligible applicants include universities, research institutions, SMEs, large enterprises, and public-private partnerships, with an emphasis on a multi-actor approach that integrates industry and academia. Collaboration with international partners is encouraged, although organizations from non-EU countries may face specific eligibility restrictions regarding funding. The geographic scope covers EU Member States and Associated Countries.

This project targets the food sector, focusing on applications of AI in foodomics, food safety, and agricultural biotechnology. Applications must include industry partners and can demonstrate the use of validated AI algorithms to analyze high-throughput foodomics data from methods like mass spectrometry or nuclear magnetic resonance.

The application process consists of a single-stage submission, starting on April 20, 2027, with the deadline set for September 23, 2027. Funding is provided purely as grants to cover direct project costs.

Success rates for this call are not explicitly detailed but are anticipated to be within a competitive range typical of Horizon Europe calls. Co-funding is not mandated, although optional involvement from other sources is welcomed to expand project capabilities.

Overall, this funding opportunity presents a significant chance to advance the use of AI in the food science sector, providing essential tools for better understanding food chemistry and enhancing food safety through robust data analysis.

This is a Horizon Europe (HORIZON) call, specifically Call 02, which is a single-stage call for 2027, identified as HORIZON-CL6-2027-02. The topic is AI-powered foodome characterization, with the topic ID HORIZON-CL6-2027-02-FARM2FORK-08. It falls under HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and uses a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The planned opening date is April 20, 2027, and the deadline is September 23, 2027, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The budget for this topic is 7,800,000 EUR for the year 2027, and it is expected that around one grant will be awarded.

The expected outcomes of the project are: the development of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool able to accelerate the analysis of complex foodomics data to speed up the identification, structural characterisation, and quantification of chemicals present in food; and improving capacity and synergies in foodomics research between academia, research infrastructures and industry.

The scope of the project is as follows: The population is exposed to a wide variety of chemicals through food and beverages, including contaminants and ingredients. The "foodome" is defined as the complete set of compounds present in a food sample at a given time, encompassing both endogenous biomolecules (produced through a species' metabolic processes) and exogenous compounds (natural and synthetic substances from production, processing, handling, and packaging). Current knowledge is limited to approximately 150 food components catalogued by traditional databases, representing a small fraction of the total chemical complexity in foods. Thousands (over 100,000) of compounds and contaminants remain largely unquantified and underexplored. Understanding this "nutrient dark matter" requires identifying, cataloguing, and quantifying the full spectrum of substances in our food and making this information accessible in AI-ready databases. The lack of such information is a bottleneck in making the nutrition field predictive and data-driven, hindering efficient food processing and the introduction of new food items to the market. While efforts to create such datasets are underway, the large quantity of samples (hundreds of thousands of compounds across thousands of foods) often leads to reliance on high-throughput experimental methods that do not allow for precise characterisation of the identified molecules.

The proposals should address the following activities: develop and test validated AI algorithms capable of interpreting and annotating high-throughput foodomics data, for instance from untargeted mass-spectrometry or nuclear magnetic resonance; the AI algorithms should be capable to predict or infer the presence and concentration of compounds based on (incomplete) foodomics data via innovative approaches, for instance by considering phylogenic relationships between species, and this should help identify analytical methods and potential food safety hazards based on their similarity to known compounds; develop a European research and innovation network between Member States and Associated Countries in food exposome research to support the development, standardization, valorisation and dissemination of the AI results and considering existing initiatives such as the Centre for Excellence in the Periodic Table of Food Initiative from Wageningen University.

The multi-actor approach is encouraged. Proposals should include industry in the consortia and academia, startups, SMEs and international initiatives. Collaboration with international partners is encouraged as well as with existing private companies in the EU/Associated countries.

The general conditions include: Admissibility Conditions, which cover proposal page limits and layout as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form in the Submission System; Eligible Countries, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide; Other Eligible Conditions, subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks and described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes; Financial and operational capacity and exclusion, as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes; Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds, as described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes; Submission and evaluation processes, as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual; Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement, as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes; and Legal and financial set-up of the grants, where the granting authority may object to a transfer of ownership or exclusive licensing of results up to 4 years after the action's end, as set out in Annex 5 and described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms and the model grant agreement (MGA) are available, with application form templates specific to this call in the Submission System, including the Standard application form (HE RIA, IA). Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations, including the Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA). Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide, and the Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include the HE MGA.

Additional documents include: HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction, HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 9. Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. 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.

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Applicants are advised to read all provisions carefully before preparing their application. The Online Manual serves as a guide for procedures from proposal submission to grant management. The Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains detailed guidance on the structure, budget, and political priorities of Horizon Europe. The Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ provides answers to frequently asked questions on proposal submission, evaluation, and grant management. The Research Enquiry Service can answer questions about European research and the EU Research Framework Programmes. National Contact Points (NCPs) offer guidance, practical information, and assistance on participating in Horizon Europe, including NCPs in non-EU and non-associated countries. The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) provides advice to businesses, especially SMEs, including guidance on EU research funding. The IT Helpdesk addresses questions about forgotten passwords, access rights, technical aspects of proposal submission, etc. The European IPR Helpdesk assists with intellectual property issues. CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk advise on standardisation in project proposals. The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment outline the roles, responsibilities, and entitlements of researchers, employers, and funders. Partner Search helps find partner organisations for proposals.

In summary, this Horizon Europe Innovation Action grant aims to fund projects that develop and implement AI tools for analyzing food composition data ("foodomics"). The goal is to identify and quantify the vast array of chemicals present in food, including both nutrients and contaminants, to improve food safety, processing, and nutritional understanding. Projects should create validated AI algorithms, establish a European research network, and involve a diverse group of stakeholders, including industry, academia, and SMEs. The funding is 7.8 million EUR, with an expected single grant awarded for projects starting around late 2027.

Eligible Applicant Types: The multi-actor approach is encouraged. Eligible applicants include industry, academia, startups, SMEs, and international initiatives. Collaboration with international partners is encouraged, as well as with existing private companies in the EU and associated countries.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) under the Horizon Europe program.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium is required. The multi-actor approach is encouraged.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and Associated Countries. Collaboration with international partners is encouraged as well as with existing private companies in the EU/Associated countries. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Target Sector: The target sectors are food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture, environment, and AI. Specifically, the focus is on AI-powered foodome characterization, foodomics, and food exposome research.

Mentioned Countries: EU Member States, Associated Countries, and Wageningen University (Netherlands) are mentioned.

Project Stage: The project stage is innovation action, implying development, testing, standardization, valorisation and dissemination of AI results.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the topic HORIZON-CL6-2027-02-FARM2FORK-08 is EUR 7,800,000. The indicative number of grants is 1, with a contribution of around EUR 7,800,000 per grant.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage call.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rate cannot be determined from the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

This opportunity is a Horizon Europe grant under the FARM2FORK initiative, specifically targeting AI-powered foodome characterization. The goal is to develop an AI tool that can accelerate the analysis of complex foodomics data, improving the identification, structural characterization, and quantification of chemicals present in food. The project aims to enhance capacity and synergies in foodomics research between academia, research infrastructures, and industry.

The scope involves addressing the challenge that current knowledge is limited to a small fraction of food's chemical complexity, leaving thousands of compounds unquantified. The project should identify, catalogue, and quantify the full spectrum of substances in food, creating accessible, AI-ready databases. This information is needed to make the nutrition field more predictive and data-driven and to make food processing more efficient.

The proposals should focus on developing and testing validated AI algorithms for interpreting and annotating high-throughput foodomics data, such as from mass-spectrometry or nuclear magnetic resonance. The AI algorithms should be able to predict the presence and concentration of compounds based on incomplete data, considering phylogenic relationships between species. The project should also help identify analytical methods and potential food safety hazards based on similarity to known compounds.

Applicants are expected to develop a European research and innovation network in food exposome research, supporting the standardization, valorization, and dissemination of AI results. Collaboration with existing initiatives, such as the Centre for Excellence in the Periodic Table of Food Initiative from Wageningen University, is encouraged.

The call encourages a multi-actor approach, requiring consortia to include industry, academia, startups, SMEs, and international initiatives. Collaboration with international partners and existing private companies in the EU and associated countries is also encouraged.

The funding is provided as a Horizon Innovation Action grant, with a total budget of EUR 7,800,000 for one project. The application process is a single-stage call, with a planned opening date of April 20, 2027, and a deadline of September 23, 2027.