Antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic biosynthesis in soils: developing key understanding and counteractive strategies using a One-Health approach

The Horizon Europe call, titled "Antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic biosynthesis in soils: developing key understanding and counteractive strategies using a One-Health approach," is part of the initiative to support implementation of the Soil Deal for Europe. It aims to address the urgent issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) development in soil ecosystems. The program is structured under the HORIZON-RIA (Research and Innovation Actions) framework, providing lump sum grants to enable substantial research projects. Eligible applicants include a diverse range of organizations such as universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and public bodies, particularly in life sciences, environmental sciences, health sciences, and veterinary sciences. The funding amount allotted for this specific initiative totals €14 million, divided into two expected grants of €7 million each. The application process is a single-stage submission with an opening date of February 4, 2026, and a deadline of September 23, 2026. The opportunity encourages interdisciplinary collaboration and requires the formation of consortia that can demonstrate complementary expertise. Proposals are expected to enhance understanding of AMR mechanisms, identify drivers and pathways of exposure, and promote the discovery of new antibiotic alternatives, emphasizing integration with ongoing EU efforts and ensuring alignment with frameworks such as the EU Soil Strategy for 2030 and the European One Health Action Plan. Successful projects should aim to produce guidelines for policymakers, develop enriched databases of antibiotic-related genes from soil microorganisms, and engage in activities that raise awareness among the public about the critical role of soil health in relation to health and pharmaceuticals. The funding model simplifies financial management by providing predictable lump-sum amounts, allowing beneficiaries to focus on their research outcomes rather than detailed cost reimbursement. While specific success rates are not mentioned, the competitive nature of Horizon Europe suggests a range of historical success rates typically between 10-40%. Overall, this grant opportunity is positioned to facilitate significant advancements in understanding and combatting AMR in soil health, significantly contributing to public health and environmental sustainability.

This is a Horizon Europe call, specifically HORIZON-MISS, focusing on antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic biosynthesis in soils. The title is "Antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic biosynthesis in soils: developing key understanding and counteractive strategies using a One-Health approach". It falls under the call "Supporting the implementation of the Soil Deal for Europe Mission" (HORIZON-MISS-2026-05). It is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) and will use the HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] Model Grant Agreement. The deadline model is single-stage. The planned opening date is 04 February 2026, and the deadline is 23 September 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of this topic are:enhanced understanding of antimicrobial resistance development in soils for policymakers, land managers, and stakeholders; increased access and capacity for evidence-based strategies to reduce antimicrobial resistance risks; improved access to enriched databases of antibiotics-related genes and alternatives; and increased citizen awareness of soil importance for health and pharmaceutical potential.

The scope of the call emphasizes the role of soil biodiversity in human, animal, and ecosystem health. It acknowledges soils as hotspots for antimicrobial resistance development and the transfer of resistance genes. It highlights the understudied driving forces behind antimicrobial resistance in soils and the limited knowledge of antibiotics-related genes. A One-Health approach is deemed necessary to combat antimicrobial resistance development in soils.

Proposals should:explore the source and dynamics of antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic biosynthesis in soils across land use types, considering land management and anthropogenic factors; analyze the role of soils in transferring antimicrobial resistance genes and exposing humans and animals to these genes and organisms; expand databases of antibiotics-related genes and alternatives from soil microorganisms; develop guidelines for policymakers and land managers to address exposure to antimicrobial resistance and facilitate the discovery of new pharmaceutical molecules; and conduct communication activities to raise citizen awareness about soil importance.

Interdisciplinary consortia are required, bringing together life sciences, environmental sciences, health sciences, and veterinary sciences. Collaboration is expected with projects funded under HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-09-01: European Partnership: One Health Anti-Microbial Resistance, as well as with the EU Soil Observatory and the SoilWise project. Proposals should include dedicated tasks and resources for collaboration and engage in Mission Soil clustering activities. The call references Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 15, and provides a link to the WHO fact sheet on antimicrobial resistance.

The general conditions include:Admissibility Conditions (proposal page limit and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form); Eligible Countries (described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide); Other Eligible Conditions (described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes); Financial and operational capacity and exclusion (described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes); Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds (described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes); Submission and evaluation processes (described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual); Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement (described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes); and Legal and financial set-up of the grants (eligible costs as a lump sum, 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 in the Submission System. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027, the HE Programme Guide, the HE Framework Programme 2021/695, the HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, the Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, the EU Grants AGA, the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, and the Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions and Privacy Statement.

The budget overview indicates that for HORIZON-MISS, €14,000,000 is allocated, with an indicative number of 2 grants to be awarded. The opening date is 2026-02-04 and the deadline is 2026-09-23. There are also other topics under this call: HORIZON-MISS-2026-05-SOIL-01 (€5,000,000, 1 grant), HORIZON-MISS-2026-05-SOIL-03 (€5,000,000, 1 grant), and HORIZON-MISS-2026-05-SOIL-04 (€9,000,000, 1 grant).

There are 3 partner search announcements. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests. The submission system will open on the date stated in the topic header.

Support resources include the Online Manual, the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, the Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), the Enterprise Europe Network, the IT Helpdesk, the European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC and ETSI Research Helpdesks, the European Charter for Researchers, and Partner Search tools.

In summary, this Horizon Europe grant opportunity aims to address the critical issue of antimicrobial resistance in soils through a One-Health approach. It seeks to fund research and innovation actions that will enhance understanding of the sources, dynamics, and transfer mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance, expand databases of relevant genes, develop guidelines for policymakers and land managers, and raise public awareness. The call encourages interdisciplinary collaboration and alignment with existing EU initiatives and databases. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and the submission process is single-stage with a deadline in September 2026. The overall goal is to contribute to the objectives of the Mission Soil, the EU Soil Strategy for 2030, the Zero Pollution Action Plan, the European One Health Action Plan against antimicrobial resistance, and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Eligible Applicant Types:The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on the nature of Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA) and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), eligible applicants can include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations capable of conducting research and innovation activities. Given the topic, involvement of life sciences, environmental sciences, health sciences and veterinary sciences is expected, so applicants from these fields are particularly relevant.

Funding Type:The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant.

Consortium Requirement:The opportunity requires a consortium of multiple applicants. The text explicitly states that "In carrying out the activities, consortia should work in an interdisciplinary way bringing together life sciences, environmental sciences, health sciences and veterinary sciences."

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. The text also mentions that 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, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector:The program targets several interconnected sectors, including health, environment, agriculture/food, and biotech/medtech/pharma/healthcare. Specifically, it focuses on soil biodiversity, antimicrobial resistance, antibiotic biosynthesis, and the One-Health approach.

Mentioned Countries:The opportunity is open to EU member states and associated countries. The text also mentions "non-EU/non-Associated Countries" that may have specific provisions for funding. Therefore, the regions are EU, non-EU associated countries and third countries.

Project Stage:The expected maturity of the project is research and innovation actions (RIA) and innovation actions (IA). This suggests that the projects should be in the research, development, validation, or demonstration stages.

Funding Amount:The funding range varies depending on the type of action:

HORIZON-CSA:around €5,000,000

HORIZON-RIA:around €7,000,000

HORIZON-IA:around €9,000,000

Application Type:The application type is an open call, with a single-stage submission process.

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

Application Stages:Applicants have to pass through a single stage to obtain this opportunity.

Success Rates:The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants is provided for each topic, which can be used to estimate the success rate based on the number of expected proposals.

Co-funding Requirement:The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement. However, Horizon Europe projects often encourage or require some form of co-funding, which should be verified in the specific call documents.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call, "Antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic biosynthesis in soils:developing key understanding and counteractive strategies using a One-Health approach," aims to address the critical issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in soils and its impact on human, animal, and environmental health. It falls under the Mission Soil initiative and supports the EU Soil Strategy for 2030, the Zero Pollution Action Plan, and the European One Health Action Plan against antimicrobial resistance. The call seeks to fund projects that will enhance the understanding of AMR development in soils, identify key drivers and pathways of soil's contribution to AMR exposure, and promote the discovery of new antibiotic alternatives.

The projects should explore the dynamics of AMR and antibiotic biosynthesis in various land use types, analyze the transfer of AMR genes, expand databases of antibiotics-related genes, and develop guidelines for policymakers and land managers. Communication and awareness-raising activities targeted at citizens are also essential. Interdisciplinary consortia bringing together expertise in life sciences, environmental sciences, health sciences, and veterinary sciences are required. Collaboration with other relevant projects and initiatives, such as the European Partnership: One Health Anti-Microbial Resistance, the EU Soil Observatory, and the SoilWise project, is expected.

The call includes different types of actions:Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), and Innovation Actions (IA), each with a specific budget allocation. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the application process involves a single stage. The call is open to applicants from EU member states and associated countries, with potential provisions for non-EU/non-associated countries. The planned opening date is February 4, 2026, and the deadline for submission is September 23, 2026.