Strengthening the EU plant protection ecosystem for a future-proof agriculture

The Horizon Europe call titled "Strengthening the EU plant protection ecosystem for a future-proof agriculture" HORIZON-CL6 offers a funding opportunity through a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) with a budget of €3,000,000. This initiative aims to enhance the EU's plant protection system, striving for sustainability and resilience in the agricultural sector, particularly in light of the stringent restrictions on pesticide usage established by the European Green Deal and the Farm-to-Fork strategy. Eligible applicants for this funding must form a diverse, multi-actor consortium, which includes stakeholders such as research institutions, universities, policymakers, regulatory bodies, farmer organizations, and representatives from the agricultural industry. The inclusion of perspectives from all 27 EU Member States is vital to ensure comprehensive and representative input regarding the agricultural challenges across the region. The project also encourages participation from non-EU countries under certain conditions, provided they can secure funding provisions for their participants. The funding mechanism is a lump sum grant, which streamlines financial management by providing fixed contributions rather than reimbursement for actual costs. This simplifies the funding process and facilitates easier reporting. Only one grant will be awarded under this call, emphasizing the project's competitive nature. The call opens for submissions on January 14, 2026, with a deadline of April 14, 2026. This single-stage application process allows applicants to submit complete proposals directly without preliminary evaluations. Successful projects will focus on creating multi-actor platforms to enhance dialogue and cooperation among various stakeholders, identify pivotal active substances threatened with withdrawal, assess their agronomic and economic impacts, and map out existing alternatives to support agro-biodiversity. The project outcomes aim to foster coordination among diverse agricultural actors, tackle the challenges posed by harmful pesticide withdrawals, and stimulate the development of innovative, biodiversity-friendly plant protection solutions. Proposals should incorporate lessons learned from past research, capitalize on existing tools, and demonstrate strong collaboration across Member States to develop actionable plans promoting sustainable agricultural practices. The application and evaluation processes are structured according to Horizon Europe guidelines, necessitating compliance with set admissibility conditions, evaluation criteria, and established budgets. The initiative seeks to build a resilient agricultural sector capable of adapting to new challenges while promoting health and environmental protection through effective plant protection strategies.

This is a description of the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) Call 02 - single stage (2026) (HORIZON-CL6-2026-02) funding opportunity, specifically the topic "Strengthening the EU plant protection ecosystem for a future-proof agriculture" with topic ID HORIZON-CL6. It is a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (HORIZON-CSA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The call is forthcoming with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is 14 January 2026, and the deadline date is 14 April 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The budget for this specific topic is €3,000,000 in 2026, and the indicative number of grants is 1.

The expected outcomes of the projects funded under this topic are:improved EU-wide dialogue and cooperation on plant protection challenges and solutions for policymakers, researchers, innovators, and other stakeholders; participation of these actors in a co-creative, multi-actor environment to jointly identify and address research and innovation needs towards stronger alignment of R&I efforts, guided by shared priorities and evidence-based insights; and coordinated transition plans and broader uptake by all actors of sustainable, scalable, and biodiversity-friendly plant protection solutions across the EU.

The scope of this topic is relevant to EU policies related to the EU’s Vision for Agriculture and Food by strengthening the plant protection ecosystem and supporting a future-proof, resilient agricultural sector. The EU aims to reduce the use of harmful pesticides to improve the long-term resilience of farming, health, and environmental protection. However, the introduction of alternatives like biological or innovative low-risk plant protection products has not kept pace with the withdrawal of active substances from the EU market, which could affect the EU’s ability to ensure food security and sovereignty. Coordinated action is needed to ensure a smooth transition, including strengthening dialogue, guiding research, and supporting innovation to equip policymakers and sectors to adapt and build a resilient, nature and biodiversity-friendly crop protection system.

Proposals should establish or reinforce an inclusive, multi-actor platform for an EU-wide network to facilitate dialogue, knowledge exchange, and cooperation among various stakeholders. They should provide guidance to identify critical uses of active substances at risk of withdrawal, assess potential agronomic and economic impacts, and map existing alternatives, including those that support agro-biodiversity, and research needs. Proposals should also facilitate targeted discussions to prioritize the most affected crops and regions, define pathways for the development and adoption of alternative solutions with a priority on issues where a risk of deadlock situation has been identified as a result of the withdrawal of harmful pesticides, and shape strategic research and innovation agendas. Furthermore, they should support agricultural sectors in co-developing actionable plans from early-stage research to field-level deployment that address the impacts of substance withdrawals and foster mutual learning across sectors and EU Member States.

Proposals should consider the perspectives and needs of the different 27 EU Member States to ensure a high level of representation and must implement the multi-actor approach, including a range of actors to ensure that knowledge and needs from various sectors are brought together.

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a member of the consortium selected for funding, contributing to prioritization of critical active substances and assessment of the acceptability of alternative solutions.

Proposals should capitalize on relevant research findings and tools, including those developed under previous research projects, and collaborate with projects funded in HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-02: Tackling pesticide resistance: early detection, management strategies, and foresight.

The general conditions include:Admissibility Conditions, which are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, and the proposal page limits and layout, which are described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. Eligible Countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Other Eligible Conditions include the application of the multi-actor approach and the potential participation of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) as a consortium member. 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 and are described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA) information:Application form templates are available in the Submission System, including the Standard application form (HE CSA). Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations, including the Standard evaluation form (HE CSA). Guidance is available in the HE Programme Guide. Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include the Lump Sum MGA. Call-specific instructions include a detailed budget table (HE LS) and guidance on lump sums.

Additional documents include:HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction, HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 9. Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes, HE Programme Guide, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme, 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 lists several topics, including:HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-CLIMATE-01, HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-CLIMATE-02, HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-COMMUNITIES-01, HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-01 through HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-14. Each topic specifies the type of action, budget, stage, opening date, deadline, contributions, and indicative number of grants.

Partner search announcements are available for those seeking partners to collaborate on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests.

The submission system is planned to open on the date stated in the topic header.

General FAQs and support are available, including the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk, and Partner Search.

In summary, this funding opportunity aims to foster collaboration and develop sustainable solutions for plant protection in the EU, addressing the challenges posed by pesticide withdrawal and promoting biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices. It encourages a multi-actor approach, involving various stakeholders to create actionable plans and strategic research agendas for a resilient and future-proof agricultural sector. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) can participate in the projects. The call is part of the Horizon Europe Programme and has a single-stage deadline in April 2026.

Eligible Applicant Types:The eligible applicant types are not explicitly defined in the provided text. However, based on the context of Horizon Europe and the multi-actor approach requirement, eligible applicants could include a range of actors such as: policymakers, regulatory bodies, farmer organizations, researchers, industry actors, and other stakeholders. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as member of the consortium selected for funding as a beneficiary with zero funding, or as an associated partner.

Funding Type:The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, which falls under HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA). 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).

Consortium Requirement:A consortium of multiple actors is required, as the proposals must implement the multi-actor approach. The text emphasizes the need for a range of actors to ensure that knowledge and needs from various sectors are brought together.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and potentially non-EU/non-Associated Countries, as specific provisions may exist for funding participants from these countries in Horizon Europe projects. Proposals should consider the perspectives and needs of the different 27 EU Member States to ensure a high level of representation.

Target Sector:The program targets the agriculture and food sector, specifically focusing on strengthening the plant protection ecosystem, supporting a future-proof, resilient agricultural sector, reducing the use of harmful pesticides, and promoting biodiversity-friendly crop protection systems. It also touches on climate and communities.

Mentioned Countries:The 27 EU Member States are explicitly mentioned. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries are also mentioned as potentially eligible, but no specific countries are named.

Project Stage:The project stage is focused on coordination and support actions, which suggests a focus on facilitating dialogue, knowledge exchange, and the development of actionable plans, rather than early-stage research or late-stage commercialization. The stage is from early-stage research to field-level deployment.

Funding Amount:The budget for the HORIZON-CL6 topic is €3,000,000. The indicative number of grants is 1, suggesting that one project will be funded under this specific topic. Other topics have different budgets and numbers of grants.

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 a lump sum grant.

Application Stages:There is a single stage for the application process.

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

Co-funding Requirement:The text does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary:This Horizon Europe call, specifically topic HORIZON-CL6, aims to strengthen the EU plant protection ecosystem for a future-proof agriculture. It seeks to improve EU-wide dialogue and cooperation on plant protection, foster a co-creative environment for stakeholders, and coordinate transition plans for sustainable plant protection solutions. The call requires a multi-actor approach, encouraging participation from policymakers, researchers, farmer organizations, and industry actors. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate in the consortium. Eligible costs will be reimbursed as a lump sum. The geographic scope includes EU Member States and potentially non-EU/non-Associated Countries. The funding amount for this specific topic is €3,000,000, with one grant expected to be awarded. The application process involves a single-stage submission, with a planned opening date of 14 January 2026 and a deadline of 14 April 2026. The call falls under the HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) and seeks to establish or reinforce an inclusive, multi-actor platform for an EU-wide network to facilitate dialogue, knowledge exchange, cooperation among policymakers, regulatory bodies, farmer organisations, researchers, industry actors, and other stakeholders;provide guidance to identify critical uses of active substances at risk of withdrawal, assess potential agronomic and economic impacts and map existing alternatives, including those that support agro-biodiversity, and research needs;facilitate targeted discussions to prioritise the most affected crops and regions, define pathways for the development and adoption of alternative solutions with a priority on issues where a risk of deadlock situation has been identified as a result of the withdrawal of harmful pesticides, and shape strategic research and innovation agendas;support agricultural sectors in co-developing actionable plans — from early-stage research to field-level deployment — that address the impacts of substance withdrawals and foster mutual learning across sectors and EU Member States.