Ecology of insect vectors of Xylella fastidiosa in EU table grapes outbreaks

The EUBA-EFSA-2025-PLANTS-01 call invites proposals focused on researching the entomological aspects of *Xylella fastidiosa*, a pathogen affecting table grapes in the EU. The aim is to reduce knowledge gaps in plant health risk assessment related to insect vectors of this pathogen. Eligible applicants must fall under the category of competent organizations designated by EU Member States, as outlined in Regulation (EC) 178/2002 and Commission Regulation (EC) 2230/2004. The funding type is a grant, providing direct financial contributions, with a total budget of €700,000 allocated for the year 2025, split across three distinct project lots. The application process is a single-stage open call requiring direct submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, with a deadline set for July 23, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time. The primary target sectors for this grant include agriculture as it pertains to food safety and health, as well as biotechnological research related to vector management and ecological assessments. The call specifically emphasizes the need for research to validate ecological knowledge necessary for effective risk assessments concerning the spread of *Xylella fastidiosa* across EU member states. No consortium is explicitly required, although collaboration may be encouraged. Financial co-funding is not mandated. The typical success rates in such competitive EU grants are generally between 10-39%, though specific rates are not listed for this grant. The call's application documents include a detailed call for proposals and a draft grant agreement, along with other related resources essential for potential applicants. Technical support and FAQ guidance can be accessed through the Funding & Tenders Portal. Interested organizations are urged to thoroughly review all provided documentation to ensure compliance with eligibility criteria and proposal submission requirements.

The EUBA-EFSA-2025-PLANTS-01 call focuses on research to reduce entomological knowledge gaps for plant health risk assessment. The call is structured into three lots: EUBA-EFSA, EUBA-EFSA-2025-PLANTS-01-02-Lot2, and EUBA-EFSA-2025-PLANTS-01-03-Lot3. The type of action is EUBA EUBA Type of Action, and the type of MGA is EUBA Type of MGA [EUBA].

The call opened for submissions on April 30, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is July 23, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. It is a single-stage submission process. The total budget for the topic in 2025 is €700,000.

A clarification (n.1) related to the call has been published under the "Topic conditions and documents" section within the "Call document and annexes."

The conditions for the call include:

1. Admissibility Conditions:Proposal page limit and layout, as well as eligibility criteria as described in section 2.2 of the call for proposals document.

2. Eligible Countries, and further eligibility criteria as described in section 2.2 of the call for proposals document. To be eligible, applicants must be on the list of competent organisations designated by the Member States in accordance with Article 36 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002 and Commission Regulation (EC) 2230/2004. This list is regularly updated by EFSA Management Board and is available for consultation using this link efsa.force.com.

3. Other Eligible Conditions, as described in section 2.2 of the call for proposals document.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion, as described in section 2.4 of the call for proposals document.

5a. Evaluation and award:Submission and evaluation processes, with evaluation and award criteria described in sections 2 and 2.5 of the call for proposals document. Submission modalities are described in section 3 of the call for proposals document.

€5B. Evaluation and award:Award criteria, scoring and thresholds, with evaluation and award criteria described in sections 2 and 2.5 of the call for proposals document. Submission modalities are described in section 3 of the call for proposals document.

5c. Evaluation and award:Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement, described in the 'Indicative procedure timetable' on page 2 of the call for proposals document.

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants, as described in section 1.5 of the call for proposals document and in the Draft Grant agreement.

The call documents and annexes include:

Call for proposals

Annex 1 draft Grant Agreement

Clarification n.1

Additional documents include:

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

Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

There are 14 partner search announcements available for this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics after logging into the portal, as well as any user having an active public Person profile.

To access the Electronic Submission Service, applicants should click on the submission button next to the type of action and the type of model grant agreement that corresponds to their proposal. After confirming their choice, they will be linked to the correct entry point. Existing draft proposals can be accessed by logging into the Funding & Tenders Portal and selecting the My Proposals page in the My Area section.

For help related to this call, applicants can contact EFSAProcurement@efsa.europa.eu. Additional resources include the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ for proposal submissions, the IT Helpdesk for technical issues, and the Online Manual for a step-by-step guide through the Portal processes.

This EU funding opportunity, under the EUBA-EFSA-2025-PLANTS-01 call, aims to address critical knowledge gaps in entomology related to plant health risk assessment. Specifically, it focuses on the ecology of insect vectors of Xylella fastidiosa in EU table grape outbreaks. The call is divided into three distinct lots, each likely targeting different aspects or geographical areas related to the research topic. The funding is open to competent organizations designated by Member States and listed by the EFSA Management Board. The application process involves a single-stage submission with a deadline in July 2025. Applicants need to carefully review the call documents, including the call for proposals, draft grant agreement, and relevant EU regulations, to ensure their proposals meet all eligibility and evaluation criteria. The Funding & Tenders Portal provides various resources and support services to assist applicants throughout the process.

Eligible Applicant Types:To be eligible, applicants must be on the list of competent organisations designated by the Member States in accordance with Article 36 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002 and Commission Regulation (EC) 2230/2004. This list is regularly updated by EFSA Management Board and is available for consultation using the provided link.

Funding Type:Grant. This is inferred from the presence of a draft Grant Agreement as an annex and the general context of EU funding.

Consortium Requirement:The call is structured into three lots: EUBA-EFSA, EUBA-EFSA-2025-PLANTS-01-02-Lot2, and EUBA-EFSA-2025-PLANTS-01-03-Lot3. The call specifies single-stage application, which may imply that single applicants are eligible, but this needs to be verified in the call documents.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The call mentions that applicants must be on the list of competent organisations designated by the Member States. This implies that the geographic eligibility is limited to EU Member States.

Target Sector:The call targets the plant health sector, specifically research to reduce entomological knowledge gaps for plant health risk assessment, with a focus on the ecology of insect vectors of Xylella fastidiosa in EU table grapes outbreaks.

Mentioned Countries:EU Member States are mentioned as the source of eligible organizations.

Project Stage:The call is for research to reduce knowledge gaps, suggesting a research or development stage.

Funding Amount:The total budget for the topic is €700,000. It is not specified how this amount is divided among the three lots.

Application Type:Open call.

Nature of Support:Money.

Application Stages:1.

Success Rates:Not specified in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement:Not specified in the provided text.

Summary:

This is a call for proposals under the EUBA program, specifically targeting research to reduce entomological knowledge gaps for plant health risk assessment. The focus is on the ecology of insect vectors of Xylella fastidiosa in EU table grapes outbreaks. The call is structured into three lots, and eligible applicants must be competent organizations designated by EU Member States, as listed by the EFSA Management Board. The total budget for the topic is €700,000. The application process is a single-stage electronic submission, with a deadline of 23 July 2025. Interested parties should consult the call documents and annexes, including the draft Grant Agreement, for detailed information on eligibility criteria, evaluation processes, and submission modalities. A clarification (n.1) has been published, and potential applicants are encouraged to contact the provided email address for help. The call aims to address knowledge gaps in plant health risk assessment related to insect vectors and a specific plant disease affecting table grapes within the EU.