Biotech for Climate Resilient Crops and Plant-Based Biomanufacturing

The EIC Pathfinder Challenge titled "Biotech for Climate Resilient Crops and Plant-Based Biomanufacturing" is part of the Horizon Europe program. It is aimed at funding innovative projects that enhance climate resilience and nutritional value in agriculture. The opportunity is intended for early-stage research and encourages disruptive technologies that can sustainably transform food production systems.

Eligible applicants include universities, research organizations, small and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups, and natural persons from EU Member States and associated countries. Both individual entities and consortia are allowed, with consortium specifications requiring independent legal entities from different countries. The geographic eligibility includes EU members and Horizon Europe-associated nations.

Funding is provided in the form of grants, with amounts ranging from €500,000 to €4 million per project. The total budget for this call is €120 million, and the funding decisions will be based on a single-stage application process. The application deadline is set for October 29, 2025. Projects are expected to reach a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 4, indicating validation in a laboratory setting and the potential for practical viability.

The primary focus areas include biotechnology, sustainable agriculture, climate resilience, and food production efficiency. The initiative aligns with various EU policies, such as the EU Green Deal and the Farm to Fork strategy, addressing critical issues like soil degradation and climate impact on food security. Projects are encouraged to employ multi-omics approaches and advanced technologies, such as nanoparticle technology and AI, while also considering regulatory frameworks.

The challenge aims to support projects that significantly improve plant growth, yield, and resilience to climate stresses. It seeks innovative solutions that not only enhance the nutritional value of crops but also ensure that food production systems are sustainable and capable of adapting to an increasingly challenging climate.

In summary, this grant opportunity intends to fund high-risk, high-reward research that could potentially transform agricultural practices, ensuring efficient, biodiverse, and resilient food production systems in Europe.

The HORIZON-EIC-2025-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01-01 call, titled "Biotech for Climate Resilient Crops and Plant-Based Biomanufacturing," is part of the EIC Pathfinder Challenges 2025 under the Horizon Europe program. It aims to support projects that enhance adaptation pathways for climate-resilient crops and develop alternative pathways to produce high-value ingredients in plants by increasing the nutrient profile of crops using both native and non-native ingredients. The call anticipates opening on 24 July 2025, with a deadline of 29 October 2025 at 17:00 Brussels time. The total budget allocated for this topic is EUR 120,000,000, and the expected contribution per project ranges from EUR 500,000 to EUR 4,000,000. Approximately 8 projects are expected to be funded.

The scope of this challenge addresses the critical issue of soil degradation and the impact of climate change on agricultural production. It recognizes that land-based agricultural production provides the majority of human food nutrients but is threatened by unsustainable practices and climate-related stresses. The call seeks innovative ideas that go beyond incremental improvements, focusing on novel production processes that are energy- and resource-efficient, produce low-emission foods, maintain or increase biodiversity, and contribute to a healthy diet.

Specific objectives of the call include:

1. Increasing plant growth, yields, and resistance to stress through:
 Enhancing tolerance to combinations of stresses caused by different climate scenarios, such as heat combined with drought, salinity, flooding, high CO2 levels, and indirect effects like altered composition of weeds, insects, pathogens, and soil microbiome, as well as the impact of human-generated pollutants.
 Increasing water use efficiency and nutrient use efficiency compared to current commercial crops.
 Improving plant reproduction and seed filling processes under unfavorable conditions caused by a combination of at least two stress factors.
 Investigating and enhancing plant and soil microbiome interactions.

2. Substantially increasing the nutritional value (e.g., proteins, vitamins) in crops through plant native and non-native ingredients.

Projects are expected to develop a complete methodology for assessing the increase of plant growth, yields, and climate resilience to single and multiple stresses, and/or assess changes to the nutritional value of crops. Multi-omics approaches, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and phenomics, are encouraged. The use of technologies such as nanoparticle technology, chemistry, and advanced artificial intelligence to develop and introduce novel defense and acclimation strategies is also encouraged. Proposals should address the narrow genetic diversity of novel crops and consider regulatory aspects, building on the work of the European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA) where appropriate. Funded projects are expected to develop breakthrough technologies that reach Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4, which is validation in a laboratory environment, with viable plants at the end of the projects.

Expected outcomes and impacts of the call are aligned with several EU policy initiatives, including Building the future with nature: Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU, the Mission Soil, the EU Green Deal, Farm to Fork strategy, the Nature Restoration Law, Fit for 55, and REPowerEU. The key overall goal is to support the production of sustainable and nutritious food from plants. In the medium to long term, this challenge aims to:

Improve the sustainability, efficiency, biodiversity, and resilience of the European food supply chain.
Secure the long-term competitiveness of the EU food supply chain while decreasing EU dependency on imports of inputs for primary production, feed, and food.

The selection of projects will be guided by the following principles:

Synergy among selected projects in terms of a common component, such as addressing similar stress factors for different crops or leveraging a similar technology.
A balanced representation of native and non-native ingredients.
A balanced representation of conventional and New Genomic Techniques (NGTs).
Diversity in the type of crops to ensure a broad spectrum, with European geographical coverage where these crops are grown.
Diversity in stress factor combinations to ensure a broad spectrum of stress factors is covered.
Diversity in technological approaches to compare their efficiency.

All projects will participate in a work package dedicated to the development of monitoring and prediction methodologies for climate adaptation assessment and lifecycle analysis.

Eligibility conditions require proposals to meet general eligibility requirements (see Annex 2) and specific eligibility requirements for the Challenge. The EIC Pathfinder Challenges support collaborative or individual research and innovation from consortia or single legal entities established in a Member State or an Associated Country. Consortia must have at least one legal entity established in a Member State and at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries. Eligible legal entities include universities, research organizations, SMEs, start-ups, and natural persons. Mid-caps and larger companies are not permitted as single beneficiaries. Applications concerning the evolution of European communication networks (5G, post-5G) will be subject to restrictions.

The proposal page limit for sections 1 to 3 of Part B is 30 A4 pages. Excess pages will be automatically made invisible.

Applicants are encouraged to consult various resources, including the EIC Work Programme 2025, FAQs, the Challenge Guide, Model Grant Agreements, the HE Programme Guide, and the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual. Support is available through the Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), the Enterprise Europe Network, the IT Helpdesk, the European IPR Helpdesk, and CEN-CENELEC/ETSI Research Helpdesks. Partner search tools are also available.

In summary, this EIC Pathfinder Challenge seeks to fund innovative projects that can significantly improve the climate resilience and nutritional value of crops through advanced biotechnological approaches. It aims to foster sustainable food production, enhance biodiversity, and secure the competitiveness of the European food supply chain in the face of climate change and increasing global food demand. The call encourages collaborative projects that integrate diverse expertise and technologies to achieve breakthrough results with viable plants validated in a laboratory environment (TRL4).

This funding opportunity is about supporting research and innovation projects that aim to make our crops more resilient to climate change and more nutritious. It's a call for scientists, researchers, and innovators to come up with new ways to grow food that is both sustainable and healthy. The European Union is investing in projects that can help us adapt our agriculture to the challenges of a changing climate, ensuring that we can continue to produce enough food while also protecting our environment. The goal is to develop crops that can withstand extreme weather conditions, use water and nutrients more efficiently, and provide us with the essential vitamins and minerals we need. This initiative is part of a broader effort to create a more sustainable and secure food system for Europe.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types include universities, research organizations, SMEs, start-ups, and natural persons. Mid-caps and larger companies are not permitted as single beneficiaries. The EIC Pathfinder Challenges support collaborative or individual research and innovation from consortia or from single legal entities.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON EIC Grant, utilizing a Lump Sum Model Grant Agreement (Lump Sum MGA).

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity supports both single applicants and consortia. For consortia of two entities, independent legal entities from two different Member States or Associated Countries are required. Consortia of three or more entities must include at least three legal entities, independent from each other, each established in a different country, with at least one legal entity in a Member State and two other independent legal entities in different Member States or Associated Countries.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes entities established in a Member State or an Associated Country. The standard admissibility and eligibility conditions and the eligibility of applicants from third countries are detailed in Annex 2.

Target Sector: The target sector is agriculture/food, climate, biotech/medtech, and innovation, with a focus on climate-resilient crops, plant-based biomanufacturing, and sustainable food production. It also touches on biotechnology and biomanufacturing.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity mentions Member States and Associated Countries of the European Union.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is development, with funded projects expected to develop breakthrough technologies that reach TRL4 (validation in laboratory environment) with viable plants at the end of the projects.

Funding Amount: The contribution ranges from €500,000 to €4,000,000. The total budget for the topic is €120,000,000.

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 grant.

Application Stages: The application process consists of a single stage.

Success Rates: The indicative number of grants is 8888.

Co-funding Requirement: The document does not explicitly state a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

This EIC Pathfinder Challenge call, part of the Horizon Europe program, focuses on "Biotech for Climate Resilient Crops and Plant-Based Biomanufacturing." It aims to support projects that develop innovative solutions for enhancing the sustainability, efficiency, and resilience of food production from plants. The call encourages projects that go beyond incremental improvements and result in novel production processes that are energy- and resource-efficient, low emission, maintain or increase biodiversity, and are integral to a healthy diet.

The specific objectives include increasing plant growth, yields, and resistance to climate-related stresses, as well as substantially increasing the nutritional value of crops through plant native and non-native ingredients. Projects should develop methodologies for assessing improvements in plant growth, climate resilience, and nutritional value, utilizing multi-omics approaches and potentially incorporating technologies like nanoparticle technology, chemistry, and advanced artificial intelligence.

Eligible applicants include universities, research organizations, SMEs, and start-ups from EU Member States and Associated Countries. Consortia are encouraged, with specific requirements for the number and location of participating entities. Single applicants are also welcome, excluding mid-caps and larger companies.

The funding is provided as a grant, with contributions ranging from €500,000 to €4,000,000 per project. Projects are expected to reach TRL4 by the end of the funding period. The call aligns with EU policies such as the EU Green Deal, Farm to Fork strategy, and the Nature Restoration Law, with the overall goal of supporting the production of sustainable and nutritious food from plants and securing the long-term competitiveness of the EU food supply chain. The planned opening date is July 24, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is October 29, 2025.