Fostering animal breeding and genetics for climate change adaptation and mitigation, improved robustness and resilience

The EU grant opportunity titled HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-07 aims to advance animal breeding and genetics to enhance climate resilience and sustainability in livestock systems. This call falls under the Horizon Europe framework, specifically targeting research and innovation actions (RIA). The application process is a single-stage open call, with submissions due by September 16, 2025.

Eligible applicants include universities, research institutes, small and medium-sized enterprises, large enterprises, and public-private partnerships involved in agricultural innovation. A consortium of at least three independent entities from different EU or associated countries is generally required, although the single-stage nature may allow smaller groups.

Funding is primarily structured as a grant, specifically a Horizon Lump Sum Grant. Although the exact funding amount is not detailed, similar grants typically range between €200,000 to €1 million, depending on the project scope. The scope of beneficiary eligibility encompasses EU member states, EEA countries, and Horizon Europe-associated nations, with provisions for international participants under specific conditions.

The target sector focuses on agriculture, particularly livestock systems, and aims to align with the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy and broader climate action initiatives. Projects should emphasize breeding traits that lower greenhouse gas emissions and enhance resilience through genetic improvements.

The development stage primarily involves research and application processes focusing on validated breeding solutions that are cost-effective and environmentally sustainable. Proposals must incorporate a multi-actor approach, ensuring collaboration among key stakeholders like farmers, industry representatives, and policymakers, while also considering the integration of ongoing research initiatives.

Success rates are not specified in the provided information, but the general Horizon Europe average is around 10-20%. The grant does not require co-funding, typical for lump-sum grants in this action.

Overall, the grant supports initiatives aimed at improving livestock breeding through innovative practices and holistic approaches, with a focus on sustainable and economically viable agriculture systems capable of meeting climate challenges. Implementing recognized traits for adaptation and fostering cooperation among diverse stakeholders is essential for addressing the ambitious goals set by the EU's Green Deal.

This EU funding opportunity focuses on fostering animal breeding and genetics for climate change adaptation and mitigation, improved robustness and resilience. It falls under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program, specifically Call Cluster 6 Call 02, and is a single-stage application process. The type of action is HORIZON-RIA (Research and Innovation Actions) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] model grant agreement. The call opened for submission on May 6, 2025, with a deadline of September 16, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcome of successful proposals is to contribute to more sustainable and environmentally responsible land-based agricultural production systems, aligning with the objectives of the EU Green Deal, including the methane strategy, the action plan for the development of organic production, and the common agricultural policy (CAP). The proposals should address issues related to emissions from livestock and support EU Member States and Associated Countries in implementing cost-effective mitigation efforts and better quantifying their expected impacts. Ultimately, the goal is to enable farmers and relevant actors in the agricultural sector to manage sustainable, efficient, profitable, and low greenhouse gas emitting farming systems that contribute to climate-neutrality and climate-resilience.

Project results are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

Enhanced understanding of interactions between management, genotype, and environment by all relevant actors involved in livestock breeding practices and programs, with the aim of improving sustainable management of livestock populations and achieving efficient animal/feed recoupling from farm to landscape scale.

Genomic and phenotypic characteristics applicable in breeding schemes for selecting and using animals with desirable traits for lower greenhouse gas emissions and other climate-change and environmental-related challenges are widely known and considered by breeders.

Increased awareness of the contribution of breeding and genetics in livestock to sustainability and production efficiency, including trade-offs among other breeding objectives, among relevant actors involved in livestock breeding practices and programs, with identified improvement paths and options to overcome obstacles to their adoption.

Provision of scientific support and recommendations/policy advice for the development, implementation, and evaluation of EU policies and strategies, including the CAP and other policies relevant for sustainable livestock production.

The scope of the proposals should focus on breeding and genetic improvements as tools to increase livestock production efficiency and sustainability, adapt to changing environments, and mitigate emissions. This involves selecting specific traits important for adaptation and mitigation and integrating them into breeding programs. Balancing multiple breeding objectives, including reducing methane emissions and other environmental considerations, requires careful consideration of trade-offs, including with animal health and welfare. Proposals should enhance animal breeding programs by identifying, validating, and upscaling easily accessible and low-cost protocols for measuring and selecting existing and new traits with low environmental and climate footprint.

The aim is to optimize the selection of animals with genotypes best suited to thrive in different production systems and environmental conditions, with different diets and rumen/gut microbiota, by incorporating adaptation and mitigation objectives into breeding and sustainable management decisions.

Proposals should address all the following activities and cover various terrestrial livestock farming systems/approaches, one of which should be organic farming:

Identify new traits, including proxy indicators from -omic or meta-omic data, that consider genotype-environment interactions on the whole animal lifespans to renew breeding goals, i.e., desirable traits for lower greenhouse gas emissions and other climate-change-related challenges, validate and integrate them into indexes used to benchmark farm performance.

Develop tools/systems/methods to measure genotype-environment interaction and traits of interest, predicting the breeding value at animal and population levels in diverse farming conditions, while maintaining genetic diversity.

Demonstrate in an operational environment breeding programs and management practices for improving robustness, lifetime efficiency, and resilience, including the contribution of livestock to climate change mitigation efforts and the adaptation to climate change conditions (TRL 7), while considering trade-offs including with animal health and welfare and demonstrating gender-responsive strategies where relevant.

Analyze the cost-effectiveness of the identified breeding programs and assess private and/or public incentives or rewarding schemes for the use of certain mitigation-related traits currently used in some European regions or countries, with their advantages, limits, and ways to overcome them.

Proposals must implement the 'multi-actor approach’ and ensure adequate involvement of the main stakeholders involved in livestock breeding in Europe, including farmers, breeders, advisors, private sector/industry, and policy-makers.

The proposal should include a dedicated task, appropriate resources, and a plan on how it will collaborate with other projects funded under this topic, and ensure coherence and complementarities with ongoing relevant Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe research projects, including relevant infrastructures. Proposals should interact with relevant structures or organizations at European level and beyond such as FAO, Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance Partnership (LEAP, FAO), Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases.

International cooperation is encouraged to better address the requirements of the topic.

The admissibility conditions include 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 available in the Submission System.

Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. 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.

Other eligible conditions include the application of the multi-actor approach.

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

Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Legal and financial set-up of the grants: Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025). Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes provides further details. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA): Application form templates are available in the Submission System. The standard application form is HE RIA, IA, and the standard evaluation form is HE RIA, IA. Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide. The Model Grant Agreement is the Lump Sum MGA. Call-specific instructions include a detailed budget table (HE LS) and guidance on "Lump sums - what do I need to know?".

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 provides details for various HORIZON-CL6-2025-02 topics, including the type of action, budget for the year 2025, stages, opening date, deadline, contributions, and indicative number of grants. The opening date for all topics is May 6, 2025, and the deadline is September 16, 2025.

Partner search announcements are available, and LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics after logging into the Portal.

This funding opportunity aims to support research and innovation projects that enhance animal breeding programs to improve the sustainability, efficiency, and resilience of livestock farming systems in Europe. It encourages projects that address climate change mitigation and adaptation, animal health and welfare, and the cost-effectiveness of breeding programs. The multi-actor approach is a key requirement, ensuring the involvement of various stakeholders in the livestock breeding sector. International cooperation is also encouraged. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and detailed guidance and support are available through various resources and helpdesks.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated but can be inferred from the requirement to implement the 'multi-actor approach'. This suggests that eligible applicants include farmers, breeders, advisors, private sector/industry, policy-makers, research organizations, universities, and other stakeholders involved in livestock breeding in Europe. The mention of non-EU/non-Associated Countries also suggests that international organizations and entities may be eligible, provided they meet the specific provisions outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily grant-based, specifically HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions (HORIZON-COFUND) as indicated in the call details. The eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme. There are also HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA).

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a consortium, as evidenced by the mandatory implementation of the 'multi-actor approach' and the need for adequate involvement of main stakeholders involved in livestock breeding in Europe. The call specifies that proposals must include a plan on how it will collaborate with other projects.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and Associated Countries. 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.

Target Sector: The primary target sector is agriculture, specifically focusing on livestock breeding and genetics. The program also touches on climate, environment, and food security, aiming for more sustainable and environmentally responsible land-based agricultural production systems.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions "European regions or countries" when discussing the analysis of cost effectiveness of breeding programs and assessment of incentives. It also refers to EU Member States and Associated Countries as being involved in implementing mitigation efforts. No specific countries are named, but the focus is clearly on the European Union and associated nations.

Project Stage: The project stage is primarily focused on development, validation, and demonstration, with an emphasis on upscaling easily accessible and low-cost protocols. The scope mentions demonstrating breeding programs and management practices in an operational environment (TRL 7).

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific action type. For HORIZON-RIA, the funding ranges from €6 million to €19.5 million. For HORIZON-COFUND, the funding ranges from €23 million to €50 million. For HORIZON-CSA, the funding is around €2 million to €3 million. For HORIZON-IA, the funding is around €6 million to €12 million.

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

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of lump sum grants to support research, innovation, coordination, and innovation actions.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The success rates can be roughly estimated based on the indicative number of grants and the total number of contributions. For example, a topic with "around 2 grants" and a budget of 12 000 000 EUR has a different success rate than a topic with "around 1 grant" and a budget of 70 000 000 EUR. However, without knowing the number of applications, it is impossible to give a precise success rate.

Co-funding Requirement: The HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions (HORIZON-COFUND) require co-funding, as the EU funding is meant to be combined with funding from other sources. The Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA) do not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement, but it is common practice and often encouraged to have additional sources of funding.

This Horizon Europe call, under Cluster 6 and the Farm to Fork strategy, seeks to foster sustainable and climate-responsible agricultural production through advancements in livestock breeding and genetics. The call aims to support projects that enhance animal breeding programs by identifying and validating traits that lower greenhouse gas emissions, improve animal robustness, and increase overall sustainability. The projects should implement a multi-actor approach, ensuring the involvement of various stakeholders such as farmers, breeders, industry representatives, and policymakers. International cooperation is encouraged to better address the requirements of the topic. Funding is provided as lump sum grants, with varying amounts depending on the action type, and the application process involves a single-stage submission. The call targets entities from EU Member States and Associated Countries, with potential eligibility for participants from non-EU/non-associated countries under specific provisions. The ultimate goal is to contribute to the EU Green Deal objectives by promoting climate-neutral and climate-resilient farming systems.