Network on carbon farming and emissions reductions for agricultural and forest lands

The EU funding opportunity, titled "HORIZON-MISS," is part of the Horizon Europe Programme and specifically addresses the implementation of the Soil Deal for Europe. This funding call is aimed at advancing carbon farming practices and reducing emissions from agricultural and forest lands. It is categorized as a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) with a lump sum grant structure. Eligible applicants include research institutes, universities, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and public-private partnerships involved in soil health and carbon farming. Proposals must include collaboration across at least three EU Member States or Associated Countries, thus emphasizing a consortium approach for better interdisciplinary engagement. The primary target sectors for this funding focus on agriculture, forestry, and environmental conservation, with special attention to methodologies for improving soil health and carbon sequestration. There are no specific countries mentioned, as eligibility is reserved for applicants within the broader region of EU Member States and Associated Countries. The project's main stage involves development and validation, focusing on established areas of carbon farming and soil remediation. The total budget for this grant topic is around €3 million, with a single application submission stage set to close on September 30, 2025. No co-funding is required due to the lump sum model. The expected outcomes from successful projects include consolidating knowledge around carbon farming practices, enhancing their uptake among land managers, and improving capacities for measuring and monitoring carbon fluxes. The grant seeks projects that support the EU’s objectives of sustainability, particularly in relation to biodiversity, ecosystem health, and climate change mitigation. In summary, this funding opportunity aims to create a collaborative network that enhances carbon farming across Europe, aligning with the EU's environmental goals and supporting policies for soil health improvement. The approach encourages development and standardization of carbon farming practices while fostering stakeholder engagement and knowledge sharing.

The EU Funding Opportunity:Network on Carbon Farming and Emissions Reductions for Agricultural and Forest Lands

This opportunity is part of the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically the call "Supporting the implementation of the Soil Deal for Europe Mission" (HORIZON-MISS-2025-05). It falls under the HORIZON-CSA (Coordination and Support Actions) funding type, utilizing the HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] Model Grant Agreement.

The call is currently open for submission with a single-stage deadline model. The opening date was May 6, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is September 30, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The primary objective of this funding opportunity is to contribute to the implementation of the Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’, with a focus on specific objective 2: “conserve soil organic carbon stocks”. It aims to support the design and implementation of soil health-improving innovative carbon farming practices in Europe, aligning with the EU Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation and the European Commission Communication “A Vision for Agriculture and Food”. Furthermore, it seeks to contribute to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 on Combating climate change and SDG 15 on Life on land. Carbon farming activities should generate co-benefits for biodiversity protection and restoration, ecosystem health, and avoidance of land degradation, thereby achieving nature restoration targets set out in Union law.

Expected Outcomes:

The projects funded under this topic are expected to achieve the following outcomes:

Consolidated knowledge and descriptions of the state-of-the-art on practices for carbon farming and for the reduction of emissions from agriculture, forestry and livestock, in support of, but not limited to, the implementation of the CRCF, are available for land managers, farmers and forest owners and the Commission’s Expert Group on carbon removals.

Enhanced uptake by land managers of carbon farming and practices for the reduction of emissions (mentioned in the previous bullet) in Europe, and development of standards to support these practices.

Increased capacities of land managers for measuring, monitoring and standardising carbon fluxes, in particular at landscape level, through a robust network for data collection and facilitated improvement of (new) data collection.

Scope:

The scope of this funding opportunity is centered around enhancing carbon farming practices in Europe. The success of carbon farming will be evaluated based on the quantity and quality of carbon sequestration in plants and soils, the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agricultural soils, and the benefits for sustainability objectives, particularly biodiversity.

Key aspects of the scope include:

Standardizing methodologies and rules for monitoring, reporting, and verifying (MRV) carbon sequestration gains or losses.

Promoting transparency, environmental integrity, and methodology standardization to build trust in carbon farming credits.

Supporting the implementation of the EU Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation, adopted in December 2024, which extends the scope of carbon farming to include certification of emission reductions from improved fertilizer use.

Supporting the Commission’s Expert Group on carbon removals by providing a network of key stakeholders to collect and aggregate views on best practices for carbon farming and emissions reductions standards.

Building upon the existing CREDIBLE project (ending in June 2026) to coordinate a network, develop a knowledge-sharing platform, and establish data collection networks.

Enhancing capacities for measuring, monitoring, and standardizing carbon fluxes, particularly at the landscape level, through a robust data collection network.

Accompanying the implementation of the CRCF by enhancing the uptake of its methodologies and gathering feedback from actors applying them.

Proposed Activities:

The proposed activities should focus on:

Coordinating the continuation and expansion of the existing network of key stakeholders involved in soils programs linked to carbon sequestration and emission reductions.

Supporting the Expert Group on carbon removals by providing concrete, operational, and solution-oriented recommendations based on best practices.

Developing a platform for networking, knowledge sharing, exchange of experiences, mutual learning, and support to facilitate the development of result-based schemes for carbon farming and emission reductions.

Underpinning the expansion of data collection networks, promoting data sharing and standardization, and improving information retrieval and aggregation.

Identifying gaps and opportunities at the landscape level in ecosystem monitoring and soil carbon flux mitigation practices.

Supporting and establishing pathways to improve national GHG inventories with data received from projects.

Proposing and adopting strategies to ensure the self-sustainability of the activities at the end of the project.

The proposals should cover carbon removals and GHG emission reductions in all relevant LULUCF categories, including croplands, grasslands, and forest land categories, regardless of their accountability in either the Agriculture or LULUCF sectors of the GHG inventories. Activities must contribute to supporting the knowledge base for addressing emissions from livestock through improved farm management and stocking densities. A systemic approach considering both removals and emission reductions by implementing whole-farm management approaches, including livestock, is desirable. Proposals should aim to cover emissions reductions in the different nutrient and mass-flow chains as well as value creation chains.

A substantial part of the budget should be dedicated to co-creating with stakeholders the project’s tools and services, enhancing communication, raising awareness and engaging with stakeholders, thereby ensuring co-ownership of the project’s results and outputs and supporting the interest in, knowledge about and uptake of carbon farming.

Special attention should be given to the promotion and integration of existing databases and datasets, the application of digital technologies, and the combination of Earth observation techniques (drones, airborne, satellite based) with in-situ monitoring for (enhancing) the provision of robust, timely and accurate GHG removals/emissions’ estimates.

Proposals must include dedicated tasks and appropriate resources for:

Building on other relevant EU programmes, projects and initiatives on carbon farming and soil carbon monitoring.

Collaborating on measures and joint activities with other relevant projects and initiatives.

Engaging with the relevant Mission Soil cluster activities and ultimately feeding into the Expert Group.

Proposals should demonstrate a route towards open access, longevity, sustainability and interoperability of knowledge and outputs through close collaboration with the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO) and SoilWise.

Budget Overview:

The total budget allocated for HORIZON-MISS-2025-05-SOIL topics is as follows:

HORIZON-MISS-2025-05-SOIL-01:€12,000,000 (Indicative number of grants: 1)

HORIZON-MISS-2025-05-SOIL-02:€11,000,000 (Indicative number of grants: 2)

HORIZON-MISS-2025-05-SOIL-03:€6,000,000 (Indicative number of grants: 1)

HORIZON-MISS-2025-05-SOIL-04:€6,000,000 (Indicative number of grants: 1)

HORIZON-MISS-2025-05-SOIL-05:€6,000,000 (Indicative number of grants: 1)

HORIZON-MISS-2025-05-SOIL-06:€6,000,000 (Indicative number of grants: 1)

HORIZON-MISS-2025-05-SOIL-07:€6,000,000 (Indicative number of grants: 1)

HORIZON-MISS-2025-05-SOIL-08:€6,000,000 (Indicative number of grants: 1)

HORIZON-MISS-2025-05-SOIL-09:€5,000,000 (Indicative number of grants: 1)

HORIZON-MISS:€3,000,000 (Indicative number of grants: 1)

HORIZON-MISS-2025-05-SOIL-11:€6,000,000 (Indicative number of grants: 1)

Conditions and Documents:

The general conditions for admissibility, eligibility, financial and operational capacity, exclusion, evaluation, award, and legal and financial set-up are detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms, as well as the Model Grant Agreement (MGA), are available in the Submission System. Applicants should use the standard application form (HE CSA) and the standard evaluation form (HE CSA). Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide. The Lump Sum MGA is the relevant model grant agreement. Call-specific instructions and a detailed budget table (HE LS) are also available.

Additional documents include:

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 1. General Introduction

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 12. Missions

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

Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

Partner Search:

There are 16 partner search announcements available for collaboration on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Submission and Support:

To submit a proposal, applicants should use the Electronic Submission Service, accessible via the submission button. The Online Manual provides guidance on the submission process. Additional support is available through the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, the Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), the Enterprise Europe Network, and the IT Helpdesk.

In summary, this EU funding opportunity aims to foster the implementation of carbon farming practices in Europe by supporting knowledge consolidation, network expansion, and the development of standardized methodologies. It seeks to engage a wide range of stakeholders, from researchers to land managers, in a collaborative effort to enhance carbon sequestration, reduce GHG emissions, and promote sustainable land management practices in line with EU climate and environmental goals. The funding supports Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) with a lump sum grant, emphasizing the importance of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and the development of practical solutions for carbon farming.

Eligible Applicant Types:The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, based on the nature of Horizon Europe calls and the focus on research and innovation actions (RIA) and coordination and support actions (CSA), eligible applicants could include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, non-profit organizations, governmental organizations, and other legal entities capable of conducting research and innovation activities related to agriculture, forestry, and soil management. The call is open to a wide range of stakeholders involved in soils programmes linked to carbon sequestration and emission reductions, including European research facilities, systems developers, solution providers, administrations, farm advisors and managers.

Funding Type:The funding type is primarily grant-based, specifically HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) under the Horizon Europe Programme. The eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum.

Consortium Requirement:The text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required, but it is implied that collaborative projects are encouraged, especially given the emphasis on networking, knowledge sharing, and engaging with a wide range of stakeholders. Partner search announcements are available, suggesting that consortia are a common approach. Therefore, a consortium is likely preferred, although single applicants might be eligible depending on the specific topic requirements.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The geographic eligibility appears to be focused on Europe, as the activities are intended to support the implementation of the Soil Deal for Europe Mission. However, the general conditions mention that non-EU/non-Associated Countries may have specific provisions for funding, so eligibility may extend beyond the EU depending on those provisions and the specific call topic.

Target Sector:The primary target sectors are agriculture, forestry, climate, and environment, with a strong emphasis on carbon farming, soil health, and biodiversity. It also touches upon sectors related to data collection, digital technologies, and Earth observation. Specific areas include agroforestry, agroecology, organic farming, and livestock management.

Mentioned Countries:No specific countries are mentioned, but the focus is on Europe.

Project Stage:The project stage appears to be focused on development, validation, and demonstration, with an emphasis on upscaling existing practices and methodologies. The call aims to support the implementation of the EU Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation and requires activities to contribute to supporting the knowledge base.

Funding Amount:The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from €3,000,000 to €12,000,000. The indicative number of grants also varies, with some topics expected to fund one project and others potentially funding two.

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 lump sum grants to support their projects.

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

Success Rates:The success rates cannot be determined from the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement:The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary:This Horizon Europe call, "Supporting the implementation of the Soil Deal for Europe Mission," aims to promote carbon farming and reduce emissions from agricultural and forest lands in Europe. It seeks to consolidate knowledge, enhance the uptake of sustainable practices, and increase the capacity for monitoring and standardizing carbon fluxes. The call encourages projects that coordinate networks of stakeholders, support the EU Expert Group on carbon removals, develop platforms for knowledge sharing, and expand data collection networks. Proposals should cover carbon removals and GHG emission reductions across various land use categories, including croplands, grasslands, and forest lands. The funding is provided as lump sum grants, and the call is open to a wide range of applicants, including research institutions, SMEs, and governmental organizations, with a focus on collaborative projects that contribute to the goals of the EU Soil Deal Mission and the EU Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming Regulation. The call emphasizes the use of digital technologies, Earth observation techniques, and collaboration with existing EU initiatives to achieve its objectives.