GUARDIANS Test Before Invest Open Call

GUARDIANS Test Before Invest Open Call (Horizon Europe) offers a total cascade funding budget of €90,000 to select up to nine small- and medium-sized farms for a 3-month programme to test and validate pre-existing digital agri-technologies. Selected farms may receive up to €10,000 each as lump-sum payments linked to three milestone deliverables (implementation, KPI submission, and lessons learned) and will receive technical support from technology providers. Applications must be submitted in English via the online form between 01 May 2026 and 01 July 2026 (deadline 17:00 CEST) and applicants must meet eligibility and legal/financial requirements including provision of a valid VAT number. Selection follows an eligibility check, external expert evaluation and final validation by the GUARDIANS Selection Committee; applicants should consult the Guide for Applicants on the project microsite for full terms.

What it funds

Purpose

Funding to recruit up to 9 farms to replicate, test and validate digital agri‑technologies developed by the GUARDIANS project (software and hardware). The aim is real‑world testing of cost‑effective, human‑centric solutions that support agroecological practices and farm resilience.

Amount available per beneficiary:Lump sum up to €10,000 per selected farm; total open call budget €90,000. Payments are milestone‑linked and disbursed after completion of defined testing milestones.

Who can apply

Primary applicants are farms (small and medium-sized) willing to host and test GUARDIANS technologies. Applicants must follow the Guide for Applicants for full eligibility rules; applications and mandatory sections must be completed in English.

Key dates & how to apply

Opening date 01 May 2026. Submission deadline 01 July 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Single-stage submission via the online application form.

1. 1Apply via the online form: forms.gle
2. 2Contact helpdesk for questions: ocguardians@ctic.es
3. 3Consult the Open Call microsite for details: GUARDIANS Open Call #2

Selection, duration and obligations

Selected farms participate in a 3‑month testing programme. Selection follows an eligibility check, external expert evaluation and final validation by the GUARDIANS Selection Committee.

1. 1Implement the selected technology according to provider instructions (Milestone 1)
2. 2Provide feedback and basic KPI data via short forms/questionnaires (Milestone 2)
3. 3Share lessons learned and suggestions to improve the technology in real farm conditions (Milestone 3)

Further eligibility details, exact selection criteria and the Guide for Applicants are available on the Open Call microsite and must be consulted before applying. GUARDIANS Open Call #2

Core facts and timeline

Call title:GUARDIANS Test Before Invest Open Call. Project acronym: GUARDIANS. Grant agreement number: 101084468. Total cascade funding available for this Open Call: €90,000. Maximum award per selected farm: up to €10,000 (lump-sum). Expected duration of participation for beneficiaries: 3 months. Opening date: 01 May 2026. Submission deadline (single-stage): 01 July 2026 17:00 Brussels time (CEST).

Purpose and scope

GUARDIANS is an EU-funded project focused on developing cost-effective, human-centric digital solutions to empower small- and medium-sized farms and support agroecological practices (regenerative agriculture, natural grazing and managed grazing strategies, pollinator promotion, etc.). This Open Call (Test Before Invest) selects up to 9 farms to replicate, test and validate up to 9 digital technologies developed either during GUARDIANS Co-Creation Open Call or by the GUARDIANS consortium. The aim is to assess performance, usability and relevance of technologies in real farming contexts and to expand the pool of end-users for uptake and scalability.

Who should apply and eligible applicant types

Primary intended applicants:farms and farm structures, in particular small- and medium-sized farms. The call explicitly targets farmers as beneficiaries and end-users. Related eligible applicant types that can be relevant based on the project context and typical Horizon cascade call practice: individual farmers, family farms, farm cooperatives, agricultural SMEs, and other farm organisations or legal entities representing farm operations. Technology providers participate by supporting implementation, but the applicant for this specific Open Call must be a farm acting as the test site and beneficiary.

Eligible geographic scope:The call is part of a Horizon-funded project and targets farms within the EU and associated countries; the GUARDIANS project itself tests technologies in Spain, Italy, Sweden and Czechia and the Open Call is intended for participants within the EU/Associated eligibility framework. Applicants should consult the Guide for Applicants for the precise list of eligible countries and any additional restrictions Guide for Applicants ¹.

Funding type, modality and amounts

Funding mechanism:cascade funding delivered as lump-sum grants in compliance with the European Commission Guidelines for Horizon Europe. Each selected farm receives a lump-sum payment of up to €10,000, with payments linked to achievement of predefined milestones. Total Open Call budget: €90,000 (enough for up to 9 farms at the maximum award).

Project stage and expected activities

Expected maturity:validation / demonstration in real-world farm conditions. This is a short-term replication and testing activity (3 months). Selected farms will implement and test an existing technology (software and/or hardware) according to the technology provider's instructions, collect and submit KPI data and qualitative feedback, and share lessons learned to help improve the solution.

Applicant responsibilities, milestones and deliverables

Selected beneficiaries must complete three milestone-linked responsibilities during the 3-month programme. Funding is disbursed upon successful completion of milestones. The farms do not prepare full technical deliverables but must supply confirmation, forms and feedback as required:

1. 1Milestone 1. Implement the selected technology following instructions provided by the technology provider. Farms must confirm installation and correct set-up.
2. 2Milestone 2. Provide feedback and basic KPI data to the technology provider via short forms or questionnaires (quantitative indicators as requested).
3. 3Milestone 3. Share lessons learned and qualitative suggestions for improvement in real farm conditions (final feedback report or structured questionnaire).

Submission and evaluation process

How to apply:Applications must be submitted through the online application form (Google Forms) available at forms.gle. All mandatory sections must be completed in English. Upon successful submission applicants will receive a confirmation email. For technical or process questions, contact the Open Call helpdesk at ocguardians@ctic.es.

Evaluation stages:The selection will follow a three-step process: Step 1: eligibility check against eligibility criteria; Step 2: evaluation by external experts assessing proposal criteria; Step 3: final validation by the GUARDIANS Selection Committee. Detailed criteria, scoring and administrative rules are provided in the Guide for Applicants (available soon) ¹.

What the applicant will receive besides funding

In addition to lump-sum financial support, selected farms will receive practical technical support from the entity that owns or provides the technological solution: assistance during installation, guidance during testing, data collection forms and follow-up from the technology provider. This is non-monetary technical/implementation support that accompanies the funded testing.

Eligibility and selection considerations (summary)

Primary eligibility:farms willing and able to deploy and test one of the GUARDIANS technologies in real conditions for a 3-month period; must be able to provide required KPI data and qualitative feedback and to carry out activities in English (application and required sections). Applicants must carefully verify full eligibility criteria, terms and conditions, and the list of eligible countries in the Guide for Applicants ¹.

Explicitly mentioned countries and project testbeds

The GUARDIANS project will test and refine digital solutions in four countries:Spain, Italy, Sweden and Czechia. These countries are explicitly mentioned as testbed/pilot locations. The Open Call is part of the same project and applicants should check the Guide for Applicants for precise national eligibility and whether applications are restricted to these countries or open to the broader Horizon eligible country list.

Detailed structured answers to classification questions

Eligible Applicant Types:The primary eligible applicant type is farmers (individual farmers and farm structures) including small- and medium-sized farms. Farm cooperatives and farm legal entities (agricultural SMEs) are relevant applicant types. Technology providers are not primary applicants for this Open Call but will provide technical support to beneficiaries. Research institutes, universities, NGOs or large enterprises are not the intended applicants for this specific replication/testing call unless they act as the farm operator or legal representative of a farm structure.

Funding Type:Grant through cascade funding. Lump-sum payments in line with Horizon Europe guidelines. Funding is disbursed upon milestone completion.

Consortium Requirement:Single beneficiary per application (single farm). The Open Call selects individual farms as replicators/testers rather than consortia.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):EU Member States and Horizon-associate countries as per Horizon rules; the GUARDIANS project has active testbeds in Spain, Italy, Sweden and Czechia. Applicants must verify country eligibility in the Guide for Applicants ¹.

Target Sector:Agriculture and agri-tech; digital technologies for farming, covering crop and livestock use cases, agroecological and regenerative farming models, grazing management, pollinator promotion, farm management and administrative reporting support, labour support, environmental valorisation.

Mentioned Countries:Spain, Italy, Sweden, Czechia.

Project Stage:Validation / Demonstration (testing and replication of existing technologies in real farm settings).

Funding Amount:Up to €10,000 per selected farm; total Open Call budget €90,000 for up to 9 farms.

Application Type:Open Call, single-stage submission through an online application form (Google Forms).

Nature of Support:Monetary (lump-sum grant) and non-monetary technical support from technology providers (installation and testing support, data collection assistance).

Application Stages:3 selection stages (eligibility check, external expert evaluation, Selection Committee final validation).

Success Rates:Not provided in the published material. The call will select up to 9 farms; the success rate depends on the number of valid applications received and is not specified.

Co-funding Requirement:No applicant co-funding is indicated in the published material. Funding is provided as a lump-sum to cover testing activities; applicants must check the Guide for Applicants for any in-kind contribution or other responsibilities.

Application form structure and templates

Application method:Applicants must use the provided online Google Forms application (forms.gle). The Guide for Applicants (to be published) contains the full eligibility criteria, terms and conditions and detailed instructions. Mandatory sections must be completed in English. Required submissions will include farm identification and contact details, description of the farm and production systems, motivation for testing a chosen technology, expected impact and practical capacity to host and operate the technology, commitment to provide KPI forms and feedback, and consent to data sharing/processing as needed for the project. During execution beneficiaries must complete KPI forms, confirm installation and provide qualitative feedback (structured short forms or questionnaires).

Application links and helpdesk:Open Call microsite and fuller information: guardians-project.eu. Application form: forms.gle. Open Call helpdesk email: ocguardians@ctic.es.

Selection criteria highlights (based on available information)

Detailed scoring and evaluation criteria are published in the Guide for Applicants. The published material indicates proposals will be assessed by external experts and then validated by the Selection Committee; applicants should expect assessment of technical fit (farm suitability for chosen technology), potential impact, quality of the testing plan, ability to collect KPI data and provide meaningful feedback, and readiness to implement the technology within the 3-month timeframe.

Summary and final explanation

What is this opportunity about and how to explain it:The GUARDIANS Test Before Invest Open Call is a small-scale cascade funding opportunity that pays selected farms up to €10,000 to host, implement and evaluate pre-existing digital technologies developed under the GUARDIANS project or its Co-Creation Open Call. The aim is to let farmers test technologies before committing to purchase or wider deployment, gather KPI and qualitative evidence from real-world farm contexts, and feed results back to technology providers for refinement and improved uptake. The call is open from 01 May 2026 to 01 July 2026, selects up to 9 farms for a 3-month programme, and uses a three-step selection sequence (eligibility, external expert evaluation, and Selection Committee validation). Funding is lump-sum and milestone-based; technical support from the technology provider accompanies the financial award. Farms interested should apply through the online form, ensure they meet the eligibility rules (to be confirmed in the Guide for Applicants), and be prepared to implement the technology, collect KPI data and provide structured feedback within the contracted 3-month period.

Footnotes

1. 1The Guide for Applicants containing exact eligibility criteria, country lists, scoring details and contractual conditions is referenced in the Open Call materials and will be available on the GUARDIANS Open Call microsite. Applicants must consult that Guide for definitive rules and country eligibility before submitting applications.

Opportunity Overview

The GUARDIANS Test Before Invest Open Call is a Horizon Europe-funded initiative designed to engage small- and medium-sized farms in testing and validating innovative digital technologies developed through the GUARDIANS project and its Co-Creation Open Call. This second open call represents the replication and scaling phase of the GUARDIANS programme, which aims to bridge the technological gap between small farms and larger agricultural producers by providing cost-effective, human-centric digital solutions tailored to agroecological farming models.

Project Context and Background

GUARDIANS is a Horizon Europe project under Cluster 6 Farm2Fork HORIZON-CL6 with grant agreement number 101084468. The project is coordinated by la Fundacion CTIC and brings together 21 partners from 8 countries. The overarching goal is to empower small- and medium-sized farms through smart solutions that support sustainable agroecological farming models including regenerative agriculture, natural grazing, alternative managed grazing strategies, and pollinator promotion. The project operates through a multi-actor co-creation methodology involving farmers, technology providers, and social innovators.

Funding Details

Total Budget:€90,000 total funding available for the open call

Funding per Beneficiary:Up to €10,000 per selected farm, with lump-sum payments linked to achievement of milestones

Number of Beneficiaries:Up to 9 farms will be selected for funding

Funding Rate:100% funding rate in compliance with Horizon Europe guidelines

Eligibility Criteria

The primary target applicants for this open call are small- and medium-sized farms. While the complete Guide for Applicants (Section 3) will provide detailed eligibility criteria, the following general guidelines apply:

Farm Size Parameters:Farms should not exceed 200 hectares in size or have a standard annual output greater than €500,000. However, GUARDIANS applies a multifactorial, case-by-case analysis approach to determine farm eligibility, and exceptions may be considered based on specific country context and parameters.

Legal and Financial Requirements:Each participating entity must provide a valid VAT number at the time of Sub-Grant Agreement preparation. Failure to provide a valid VAT number will result in automatic exclusion. Entities under liquidation, classified as in difficulty according to EU regulations, excluded from EU funding, or subject to national bankruptcy laws are not eligible.

Conflict of Interest:GUARDIANS Consortium partners and their affiliated entities (as defined by Horizon Europe) are not eligible. However, regular members of cooperatives involved in GUARDIANS who do not receive financial compensation or hold decision-making power are eligible to apply.

Programme Duration and Structure

Selected beneficiaries will participate in a structured 3-month funding programme focused on replicating and testing digital technologies. The programme is organized around three key milestones with associated responsibilities:

1. 1Milestone 1: Implement the selected technology according to instructions provided by the technology provider
2. 2Milestone 2: Provide feedback and basic KPI data to the technology provider via short forms or questionnaires
3. 3Milestone 3: Share lessons learned and suggestions for improving the technology in real-world farm conditions

While farms do not produce full deliverables, they are responsible for providing required KPI forms, installation confirmation, and qualitative feedback. Technology providers will support applicants throughout the testing process.

Technologies Available for Testing

Up to 9 technological solutions will be available for testing and validation. These solutions are selected from two sources: the 9 technologies developed during the Co-Creation Open Call (which concluded in 2025 with 9 selected consortia) and 9 emerging technologies from the GUARDIANS project itself. All solutions combine software and hardware components and are customized to address specific farmer needs across 11 use cases covering both crops and livestock production.

Application Timeline and Deadlines

The application period runs for exactly 2 months. Applications must be submitted through the online form available at [[forms.gle. All mandatory sections must be completed in English. Upon successful submission, applicants will receive a confirmation email.

Submission and Evaluation Process

The selection process follows a three-step approach:

1. 1Step 1: Eligibility check to verify that proposals meet all eligibility criteria outlined in the Guide for Applicants
2. 2Step 2: External experts evaluation to assess proposals according to established criteria
3. 3Step 3: GUARDIANS Selection Committee undertakes final validation of selected proposals

Detailed evaluation criteria and scoring methodology are provided in Section 4 of the Guide for Applicants, which will be made available on the project microsite.

Payment and Disbursement

Funding is provided on a lump-sum basis in compliance with Horizon Europe guidelines. Payments are directly linked to the achievement of the three milestones outlined above. This approach ensures that farms receive financial support contingent upon successful completion of their testing and validation responsibilities.

Key Benefits for Applicants

• Early access to innovative digital solutions developed under GUARDIANS before making full investment decisions
• Financial support of up to €10,000 to offset testing and implementation costs
• Technical support from technology providers throughout the 3-month testing period
• Opportunity to contribute to the development and improvement of technologies through feedback and real-world validation
• Potential exposure through GUARDIANS' mandatory roadshows and online presentations
• Participation in a structured programme with clear milestones and support mechanisms
• Access to mentorship and collaborative opportunities with GUARDIANS partner cooperatives and Digital Innovation Hubs

Application Requirements and Documentation

Applicants must carefully review all eligibility criteria and terms and conditions in the Guide for Applicants before submitting. Key requirements include:

• Completion of all mandatory sections in the online application form
• Submission in English language
• Provision of valid VAT number for Sub-Grant Agreement preparation
• Confirmation of farm status and size parameters
• Description of farm operations and relevance to GUARDIANS technologies
• Commitment to implement selected technology and provide required feedback and KPI data

Support and Contact Information

Applicants encountering technical issues with the online application form or having questions about the open call should contact the GUARDIANS helpdesk at ocguardians@ctic.es. Additional information is available on the project microsite at [[guardians-project.eu and the main project website at [[guardians-project.eu.

Strategic Context and Impact

This open call is part of GUARDIANS' broader strategy to scale the impact of digital innovation in agriculture. The project operates across four countries with diverse environmental and socio-economic conditions: Spain, Italy, Sweden, and Czechia. By engaging up to 9 additional farms in testing and validation, the initiative expands the pool of end-users and supports the uptake and scalability of results. The Test Before Invest approach allows farms to evaluate technologies in real-world conditions before making significant investment commitments, reducing adoption risk and supporting the transition toward more sustainable and resilient farming systems aligned with the European Green Deal and Farm2Fork strategy.

Important Notes for Applicants

The complete Guide for Applicants, including detailed eligibility criteria (Section 3) and evaluation methodology (Section 4), will be made available on the GUARDIANS project microsite. Applicants are strongly advised to review this document thoroughly before submitting their applications. The deadline is firm and submissions received after 17:00 CEST on 01 July 2026 will not be accepted. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1The Guide for Applicants is referenced as available soon on the project microsite. Applicants should monitor [[guardians-project.eu for the publication of this essential document, which will provide comprehensive guidance on all aspects of the application process, eligibility requirements, and evaluation criteria.