Reducing pollution from the food and drink industries

The Horizon Europe grant opportunity focuses on reducing pollution in the food and drink industries, aligning with the European Green Deal priorities. It emphasizes the need for research and innovation to understand, measure, and mitigate pollution, while empowering consumers and fostering stakeholder engagement. The eligible participants include a wide range of actors from the food system, such as research institutes, universities, SMEs, large enterprises, and national agencies, with an encouragement for international cooperation.

As part of the Innovation Actions under Horizon Europe, this grant provides monetary support aimed primarily at projects in the development or demonstration phase. No specific funding amount is stated, but similar initiatives suggest a potential range of €1 million to €5 million per project, with an overall indicative budget of €12 million for this particular topic. The application process is a single-stage submission due by September 17, 2025.

The grant requires the adoption of a multi-actor approach, which means collaborative efforts are encouraged, though not strictly mandatory. Various pollution types, including plastics and persistent chemicals, will be addressed, highlighting the complexities of food systems as both sources and sufferers of pollution. Proposals must develop methods for measuring and reducing pollutants, as well as promoting the involvement of relevant stakeholders.

Success rates for Horizon Europe tenders are generally competitive, with estimates around 10-39%. The co-funding requirement typically involves covering 30% of the project's total cost since the EU usually contributes 70% for Innovation Actions.

Overall, this Horizon Europe grant provides a significant opportunity for innovative projects aimed at tackling pollution in the food sector, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and enhancing sustainable practices in food production and processing.

This is a Horizon Europe call focusing on reducing pollution from the food and drink industries, contributing to the European Green Deal priorities and the transformation of food systems. The call aims to support research and innovation to understand, measure, monitor, and reduce pollution from these industries, while also empowering consumers and ensuring the involvement of relevant stakeholders.

The expected outcomes of successful proposals include a better understanding of pollution from the food and drink industry, the availability of methods for industries to measure and reduce pollutant emissions, and a contribution to the food 2030 priorities related to nutrition, climate, biodiversity, circularity, and innovation.

The scope of the call addresses the fact that food systems are both a source of and suffer from pollution. It recognizes the accumulation of contaminants in food products and the knowledge gaps regarding emerging pollutants and their effects. The call encourages proposals to address various forms of pollution, such as plastics, food packaging, persistent chemicals, light, noise, and odour, while also considering regional differences and promoting international cooperation.

Proposals should focus on food and drink industries' processes and pollutants, develop analytical methods to measure pollutants, propose monitoring/tracking methods for less-known and emerging pollutants, identify effective methods/technologies to reduce pollution, develop activities for empowering consumers, and ensure the involvement of relevant stakeholders.

The call specifies that activities related to depollution in large industrial installations should refer to the Innovation Centre for Industrial Transformation and Emissions (INCITE). It emphasizes the implementation of the multi-actor approach, involving a wide range of food system actors and multi-disciplinary research, including environmental science and biodiversity. International cooperation is strongly encouraged, and activities should build on past and ongoing research projects, with a clear plan for collaboration and upscaling.

The general conditions for participation include admissibility conditions related to proposal page limits and layout, eligible countries as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, and other eligibility conditions such as the application of the multi-actor approach. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are outlined in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. Evaluation and award processes, submission and evaluation processes, and indicative timelines are detailed in Annexes D and F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. Legal and financial aspects are covered in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme. Application forms, evaluation forms, and model grant agreements are available in the Submission System. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2025 sections on General Introduction, Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, and General Annexes, as well as the 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, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview lists 32 topics under Cluster 6, Call 01 for 2025, including actions related to Biodiversity (BIODIV), Circular Bioeconomy (CIRCBIO), and Zero Pollution (ZEROPOLLUTION). These actions encompass HORIZON COFUND, CSA, RIA, and IA types, with opening dates on May 6, 2025, and deadlines on September 17, 2025. The indicative number of grants and budget allocations vary per topic, ranging from 2,000,000 EUR to 70,000,000 EUR.

Partner search announcements are available for collaboration on this topic. The submission session is now available for all topics.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call is a significant opportunity for research and innovation projects that aim to reduce pollution from the food and drink industries, aligning with key European Green Deal priorities. It encourages a multi-faceted approach, encompassing research, innovation, stakeholder engagement, and consumer empowerment, to transform food systems and achieve a zero-pollution future.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but the call encourages the involvement of a wide range of food system actors, researchers, national agencies/authorities, laboratories, and the food and drink industry, including strategic innovation platforms and federations. This suggests that eligible applicants could include research institutes, universities, SMEs, large enterprises, industry associations, national agencies, and other relevant stakeholders in the food system.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) under the Horizon Europe program. There are also HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA). Additionally, some topics are funded through HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions (HORIZON-COFUND).

Consortium Requirement: The call requires a multi-actor approach, implying that a consortium of multiple applicants is generally required, especially for Research and Innovation Actions and Innovation Actions. Coordination and Support Actions might be more suitable for single applicants, but the multi-actor approach is still encouraged.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The primary geographic eligibility is for EU member states and associated countries under the Horizon Europe program. However, the documentation mentions that a number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. International cooperation is strongly encouraged.

Target Sector: The primary target sector is the food and drink industry, with a focus on reducing pollution from food systems. This includes aspects of agriculture, food processing, packaging, and related environmental and health impacts. The program also touches on themes related to climate, biodiversity, circularity, sustainable nutrition, and community empowerment.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the call is open to EU member states, Horizon Europe associated countries, and potentially other countries that have specific funding arrangements with Horizon Europe.

Project Stage: The project stage varies depending on the type of action. Innovation Actions (IA) typically target projects closer to demonstration and deployment, while Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) focus on earlier-stage research and development. Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) support networking, coordination, and dissemination activities. The call encourages building upon past and ongoing research projects, suggesting projects should be at least at the development or validation stage.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary widely depending on the specific topic and type of action, ranging from EUR 2,000,000 for Coordination and Support Actions to EUR 30,000,000 for Cofund Actions. For the specific topic HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-07, the budget is EUR 12,000,000, with an indicative number of 2 grants, suggesting an average grant size of around EUR 6,000,000. Other topics have different budget allocations and indicative grant numbers, as detailed in the budget overview.

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

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will primarily receive money in the form of grants to fund their research, innovation, and coordination activities.

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

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight. Given the competitive nature of Horizon Europe calls, success rates are generally expected to be below 40%, and potentially lower depending on the specific topic.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is not explicitly mentioned as a general requirement for all actions, but HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions (HORIZON-COFUND) inherently involve co-funding from other sources, as the EU funding is meant to be combined with funding from national or regional programs.

Summary: This Horizon Europe Cluster 6 call focuses on reducing pollution from food and drink industries to align with the European Green Deal priorities. It seeks to transform food systems by supporting research and innovation that delivers co-benefits for climate, biodiversity, sustainability, nutrition, and community empowerment. The call encompasses various types of actions, including Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), Innovation Actions (IA), and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), each with different funding levels and objectives. Applicants are expected to adopt a multi-actor approach, involving a wide range of stakeholders from the food system, and international cooperation is strongly encouraged. The call aims to address knowledge gaps regarding emerging pollutants, develop analytical and monitoring methods, identify effective pollution reduction technologies, empower consumers, and ensure the involvement of relevant stakeholders. The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic and action type, with a single-stage application process and a deadline of September 17, 2025.