Open topic: Boosting organic farming for a competitive, sustainable and resilient farming sector

Overview

The Horizon Europe call, titled "Boosting organic farming for a competitive, sustainable and resilient farming sector" (HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-02-two-stage), has a total budget of €12 million, intended for two grants of €6 million each. This initiative is aimed at enhancing the organic farming sector across the EU and Associated Countries through innovation actions.

Eligible applicants include a broad range of stakeholders such as research organizations, universities, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), large enterprises, and farmers' associations, all required to participate in a multi-actor approach, forming consortia that cover diverse expertise in the organic farming value chain. The focus involves significant collaboration among farmers, agricultural advisors, and policy-makers, emphasizing a gender-sensitive and inclusive engagement.

The funding mechanism is based on lump sum grants, facilitating flexibility in budget allocation, and projects can provide financial support to third parties up to €60,000, creating further engagement opportunities within the organic farming community.

Applications will be processed through a two-stage system. The first stage requires the submission of an outline proposal by April 14, 2026, which will be evaluated against the criteria of excellence and impact in a blind review process. Successful applicants will then be invited to submit a full proposal by September 15, 2026.

Project objectives include the development and validation of innovative practices across various organic farming systems (both crop and livestock), establishing demonstration sites in diverse climatic conditions, and addressing sustainability challenges linked to economic viability, environmental protection, and social benefits. The projects should also facilitate knowledge exchange among stakeholders, thus promoting the adoption of organic methods by farmers.

Success rates for this competitive call are anticipated to be low, as only two grants are expected amid potentially many submissions. There are no explicit co-funding requirements stated, but applicants should be prepared to secure additional funding for the total eligible costs.

Overall, this funding opportunity aligns with EU initiatives for sustainable agriculture, significantly contributing to the objectives of the European Green Deal and enhancing the resilience and competitiveness of the organic farming sector within the EU.

Detail

This is a Horizon Europe call for proposals under Cluster 6, specifically targeting the FARM2FORK strategy with a focus on boosting organic farming for a competitive, sustainable, and resilient farming sector. The call is structured as a two-stage HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) and utilizes a lump sum grant model. The planned opening date is February 12, 2026, with deadlines for the first stage on April 14, 2026, and for the second stage on September 15, 2026.

The overall objective is to address remaining research and innovation needs to enhance the organic farming sector in Europe. Project results should contribute to several expected outcomes, including:

*  Benefits for farmers, advisors, agri-food chain operators, policymakers, public funders, and citizens through new knowledge, knowledge exchange, viable innovations, practices, and tools that enhance the competitiveness, sustainability (economic, environmental, social), and resilience of the organic farming sector.
*  Improved sustainability of organic farming systems and overall efficiency of the sector, leading to increased attractiveness of organic farming in Europe and a better understanding of its contribution to sustainability (economic, social, biodiversity, climate).
*  Support for the EU regulatory framework for organic farming, the Common Agricultural Policy, and the EU’s biodiversity, zero pollution, and climate policies through science-based evidence, methodologies, and standardized monitoring frameworks.

The scope of the proposals should include:

*  Increasing knowledge and developing safe, viable, and cost-effective innovations to tackle agronomic, sustainability (social, biodiversity, climate, economic), value chain development, and/or market-related challenges of organic production.
*  Developing innovations addressing land-based organic production in various pedo-climatic conditions in the EU and Associated Countries.
*  Demonstrating the contribution of these innovations to facilitating the uptake and implementation of organic production methods by relevant stakeholders, including farmers.
*  Activities to increase networking, knowledge, and best practice exchange among farmers (both organic and those implementing other approaches) and with other relevant actors.
*  Establishing sites in diverse pedo-climatic conditions to co-create, test, validate, and upscale innovations, and setting up a network connecting these sites.
*  Addressing both crop and livestock production systems under organic production.
*  Convincingly explaining how the proposals will fill existing R&I needs in line with the EU Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production and the Vision for Agriculture and Food.
*  If relevant, explaining how the proposals build on and do not duplicate activities covered by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, Horizon Europe Cluster 6 Work Programmes, EU Mission Soil, and/or Horizon Europe Partnerships such as ‘Agroecology’, Animal Health and Welfare, or FutureFoods.
*  Including a dedicated task, appropriate resources, and a plan for collaboration with other projects funded under this topic, as well as with other relevant ongoing EU-funded organic farming projects and projects funded by the Horizon Europe Partnership ‘Agroecology’ or other Horizon Europe Partnerships.
*  Implementing the multi-actor approach and ensuring adequate involvement of farmers and other relevant stakeholders involved in the organic farming agri-food value chain, taking into account a gender-sensitive and inclusive approach.
*  Targeting sectors with high economic relevance in different pedo-climatic conditions and various biogeographical regions across Europe in a representative way.
*  Promoting close cooperation among relevant research and innovation actors across the EU and Associated Countries, leading to a more efficient organic production R&I ecosystem.
*  Involving the effective contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines.

The following additional eligibility criteria apply: the proposals must apply the multi-actor approach.

Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties (FSTP) in the form of grants, with a maximum amount of EUR 60,000 to each third party.

There are two specific funding opportunities within this call:

1.  HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-01-two-stage: With a budget of EUR 13,500,000 and an indicative number of 3 grants.
2.  HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-02-two-stage: With a budget of EUR 12,000,000 and an indicative number of 2 grants.

Applicants submitting a proposal for a blind evaluation must not disclose their organization names, acronyms, logos, nor names of personnel in the proposal abstract and Part B of their first-stage application.

The call provides various guidance documents, application forms, and model grant agreements, including the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Lump Sum MGA, detailed budget table, and information on financial support to third parties. Applicants are encouraged to use the Partner Search tool to find collaborators.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call aims to boost the organic farming sector by funding research and innovation projects that address key challenges and contribute to the sustainability, competitiveness, and resilience of organic farming in the EU. It emphasizes the importance of a multi-actor approach, collaboration, and the involvement of social sciences and humanities disciplines. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and beneficiaries can provide financial support to third parties. The call is structured as a two-stage process with specific deadlines and evaluation criteria.

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Breakdown

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly defined in the provided text. However, the call emphasizes the multi-actor approach, requiring the involvement of farmers and other relevant stakeholders in the organic farming agri-food value chain. This suggests that a wide range of entities, including but not limited to research organizations, universities, SMEs, large enterprises, farmers' associations, and other relevant stakeholders involved in the organic agri-food sector, are potentially eligible. The call also mentions the need for a gender-sensitive and inclusive approach, suggesting that diverse types of organizations are welcome.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) under the Horizon Europe Programme. The eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum. Beneficiaries may also provide financial support to third parties (FSTP) in the form of grants, with a maximum amount of EUR 60,000 per third party.

Consortium Requirement: The call requires the implementation of a multi-actor approach, implying that a consortium of multiple applicants is necessary to ensure adequate involvement of all relevant stakeholders in the organic farming agri-food value chain.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes the EU and Associated Countries. The call 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, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: The program targets the agriculture and food sector, specifically focusing on organic farming. It aims to boost the competitiveness, sustainability, and resilience of the organic farming sector in Europe. The call also addresses related areas such as biodiversity, climate, and environmental sustainability within the context of organic production.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions the EU and Associated Countries as the primary geographic focus. It also refers to non-EU/non-Associated Countries that may have specific provisions for funding participation in Horizon Europe projects.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is innovation action, which implies activities ranging from development and validation to demonstration and potentially early stages of commercialization or scale-up. The call emphasizes co-creation, testing, validating, and upscaling of innovations, suggesting a focus on projects that are beyond the initial research phase and ready for practical application and implementation.

Funding Amount: The budget overview indicates that for the HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-01-two-stage topic, the budget is EUR 13,500,000 with an indicative grant amount of around EUR 4,500,000. For the HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-02-two-stage topic, the budget is EUR 12,000,000 with an indicative grant amount of around EUR 6,000,000.

Application Type: The application type is a two-stage open call. The call is part of the Horizon Europe Programme and uses the standard application forms available in the Submission System. The first stage proposals will be evaluated blindly.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant. They may also provide financial support to third parties (FSTP) in the form of grants, up to EUR 60,000 per third party.

Application Stages: The application process involves two stages. The first deadline is for the initial proposal submission, and the second deadline is for the full proposal submission after the first stage evaluation.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned. However, the indicative number of grants suggests that for a budget of EUR 13,500,000, approximately 3 grants will be awarded, and for a budget of EUR 12,000,000, approximately 2 grants will be awarded.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required. However, Horizon Europe grants typically fund a percentage of the total eligible costs, implying that applicants may need to secure additional funding from other sources to cover the remaining costs.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, part of the Cluster 6 Work Programme, aims to boost the organic farming sector in Europe by funding innovation actions. The call seeks proposals that increase knowledge and develop cost-effective innovations to address challenges in organic production, covering agronomic, sustainability, value chain, and market-related aspects. Projects should focus on land-based organic production in diverse pedo-climatic conditions within the EU and Associated Countries, demonstrating contributions to the uptake of organic methods by farmers and other stakeholders. A multi-actor approach is mandatory, requiring the involvement of farmers and other relevant stakeholders in the agri-food value chain. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, with the possibility of providing financial support to third parties up to EUR 60,000. The application process is two-staged, with a blind evaluation in the first stage. The call encourages collaboration with other EU-funded projects and the Horizon Europe Partnership ‘Agroecology’. The overall goal is to enhance the competitiveness, sustainability, and resilience of the organic farming sector, contributing to the EU's broader agricultural and environmental policies.

Short Summary

Impact
Boost the competitiveness, sustainability, and resilience of the organic farming sector in Europe through innovation and research.
Applicant
A consortium of diverse stakeholders including farmers, research organizations, and agri-food chain operators with expertise in organic farming.
Developments
Projects focusing on developing and validating innovations in organic farming practices, addressing agronomic, sustainability, and market-related challenges.
Applicant Type
Consortia of research organizations, universities, SMEs, large enterprises, and other stakeholders involved in organic farming.
Consortium
A multi-actor approach is mandatory, requiring a consortium of multiple applicants.
Funding Amount
€6,000,000 per project, with a total budget of €12,000,000 for two expected grants.
Countries
EU Member States and Associated Countries, as the project aims to address diverse pedo-climatic conditions across Europe.
Industry
Horizon Europe, specifically targeting organic farming under the Farm-to-Fork strategy.

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