Support for information measures relating to the common agricultural policy (IMCAP)

The IMCAP-2026-INFOME call supports information measures related to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) within the EU, aimed at disseminating knowledge about CAP to a diverse audience. This grant, with a total budget of €4,000,000 for 2026, is intended for projects that will help inform citizens, particularly young people in urban areas and rural stakeholders, about the CAP's objectives and impacts. The call is part of a broader initiative to enhance public understanding and engagement with agricultural policies that affect food systems and rural development.

Eligible applicants include individuals and legal entities such as associations, NGOs, public authorities, and any other organizations capable of conducting large-scale communication campaigns. The application process is a single-stage submission, open from October 7, 2025, to January 14, 2026. Funding supports a variety of activities including media production, digital outreach, public engagement events, and studies related to CAP.

Key thematic areas for 2026 include fair income for farmers, competitiveness of EU agriculture, sustainability within environmental limits, generational renewal, and combating disinformation. Projects are expected to reach significant numbers of citizens and utilize measurable impact indicators to demonstrate effectiveness.

The nature of the funding is a budget-based grant designed to co-finance communication initiatives, promoting transparent and informative public discourse regarding CAP. Proposals must detail their approaches and expected outcomes, addressing misconceptions about agriculture while promoting the CAP's role in supporting sustainable, competitive, and resilient farming practices across the EU.

The IMCAP-2026-INFOME call, also known as Support for Information Measures relating to the Common Agricultural Policy (IMCAP), aims to raise awareness and disseminate information about the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) among EU citizens, farmers, and non-farmers. The call aligns with the Commission's legal requirement for information measures on the CAP, as outlined in Article 46 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116. The call is for IMCAP Project Grants (IMCAP-PJG) and uses the IMCAP Action Grant Budget-Based [IMCAP-AG] model grant agreement.

The target audience includes the general public, particularly young people in urban areas, farmers, and other stakeholders in rural areas and the agricultural sector. For young people, the call emphasizes new approaches to engage them and raise awareness of the CAP's contributions to areas like climate change, food, healthy eating, and the EU School Scheme for Milk, Fruit and Vegetables. For stakeholders, the goal is to increase awareness of the CAP's role in supporting the social, environmental, and economic sustainability of agriculture.

Projects must use objective and measurable impact indicators, including:

Baseline: Description of current awareness and perception of the CAP among the target audience, potentially using Special Eurobarometer 520 data or other credible sources.
Total number of contacts: Expected to be made during communication and information activities.
Targeted increase: In the number of contacts who recognize or have a more positive opinion of the CAP as a result of the activities.

The measures funded should help citizens understand how the CAP responds to challenges faced by agriculture and food producers, restores consumer confidence after crises, supports rural development, and promotes a competitive, sustainable, and resilient Union model of agriculture. Information should be coherent, evidence-based, objective, and comprehensive, both inside and outside the Union. The CAP's role in supporting farmers' income, preserving biodiversity, mitigating climate change, and promoting sustainable agriculture should also be highlighted.

Proposals should focus on the ten specific objectives of the CAP, considering Member States' CAP strategic plans, the Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production, the Common Market Organisation, the Unfair Trade Practices Directive, and the Political Orientations for the next European Commission 2024-2029. The motivation for proposals should address the lack of information about European agriculture and the CAP within identified target audiences, using facts and reliable data to raise public awareness.

The 2026 call focuses on elements of the Vision for Agriculture and Food related to the implementation of the CAP, specifically:

The CAP’s role in supporting a fair prospects income for farmers and their position in the food supply chain.
Its contribution to ensuring competitiveness and the long-term resilience of EU agriculture.
Agri-food systems functioning within planetary boundaries, preserving healthy soils, clean water and air, and protecting and restoring Europe’s biodiversity.
The support to generational renewal and improving gender balance.
Addressing misconceptions and disinformation narratives and strengthening information integrity in relation to agriculture and rural areas.

Funded activities should include large-audience information and communication measures, such as:

Production and distribution of print, multimedia, or audio-visual material.
Web and social media outreach activities.
Media events.
Conferences, seminars, and workshops.
Studies on CAP-related issues (if required to support the information measures).

Ineligible activities include:

Measures required by law.
General or statutory meetings.
Other activities where communication and information measures are not the main component.

Projects that are co-financed campaigns must describe their past impact and the novelty of the proposed activities.

The call's budget is EUR 4,000,000. The call is a single-stage submission process. The opening date was 07 October 2025, and the deadline is 14 January 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

Conditions for admissibility include proposal page limits and layout, eligible countries, other eligible conditions, financial and operational capacity, exclusion criteria, submission and evaluation processes, award criteria, scoring and thresholds, indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement, and legal and financial setup of the grants.

Relevant documents include the call document, application stage documents (standard application form, detailed budget table, Commission Decision on unit costs), reporting documents (IMCAP Impact Indicator, detailed cost reporting table template, periodic report template, activities report template), and additional documents (Regulation 2021/2116 and Regulation 2024/2509).

Applicants can search for partners to collaborate on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests.

To submit a proposal, applicants must access the Electronic Submission Service through the Funding & Tenders Portal.

This funding opportunity seeks projects that will inform EU citizens about the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). It aims to bridge the information gap between the policy and the public, particularly focusing on young people and those in the agricultural sector. Projects should focus on communicating the CAP's benefits, such as supporting farmers' incomes, promoting sustainable agriculture, and ensuring food security. The EU wants to fund projects that are creative, evidence-based, and reach a large audience, ultimately fostering a better understanding and appreciation of the CAP's role in European society.

Eligible Applicant Types: The provided text does not explicitly list eligible applicant types. However, based on the context of EU funding and the Common Agricultural Policy, eligible applicants could include a wide range of entities such as: NGOs, public organizations, research institutions, universities, agricultural organizations, and other entities capable of conducting large-audience information and communication measures. Further details would be available in section 6 of the call document.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically an IMCAP Project Grant (IMCAP-PJG) and IMCAP Action Grant Budget-Based [IMCAP-AG].

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if a single applicant is sufficient. However, the partner search announcements suggest that collaborations are possible and perhaps encouraged. Further details would be available in the call document.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The call is focused on raising awareness about the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) within the EU, suggesting that the geographic eligibility is primarily the EU. The measures should help citizens understand the CAP through coherent, evidence-based, objective and comprehensive information, both inside and outside the Union. Further details would be available in section 6 of the call document.

Target Sector: The program targets the agriculture and food sector, specifically focusing on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and related information and communication measures. It also touches on areas like rural development, biodiversity, climate change, and sustainable agriculture.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the focus is on the European Union (EU).

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on implementation of information and communication measures. This suggests a stage of development, validation, demonstration, or commercialization, rather than basic research or idea generation.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the topic IMCAP-2026-INFOME is EUR 4,000,000. The indicative number of grants is not specified in the provided text.

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 grant to support their information and communication measures.

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

Success Rates: The success rates are not specified in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required. This information would likely be detailed in the call document.

Summary:

This opportunity is a call for proposals under the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) framework, specifically targeting information and communication measures. The call, titled IMCAP-2026-INFOME, aims to raise awareness and disseminate information about the CAP among EU citizens, farmers, and other stakeholders. The funding mechanism is a grant, with a total budget of EUR 4,000,000 allocated to IMCAP Project Grants. The call is open for submission with a deadline of January 14, 2026.

The primary objective is to help citizens understand the CAP, its role in addressing challenges faced by agriculture and food producers, its support for rural development, and its promotion of a more competitive, sustainable, and resilient Union model of agriculture. Proposals should focus on the ten specific objectives of the CAP, taking into account Member States' CAP strategic plans and other relevant directives and orientations.

Eligible activities include the production and distribution of various media materials, web and social media outreach, media events, conferences, seminars, and studies on CAP-related issues. Activities required by law, general meetings, and activities where communication is not the main component are not eligible.

Applicants are expected to use objective and measurable impact indicators to assess the success of their proposed activities. The call emphasizes the importance of addressing misconceptions and disinformation narratives related to agriculture and rural areas.

To apply, applicants need to access the Electronic Submission Service through the Funding & Tenders Portal, carefully following the guidelines and provisions outlined in the call document and related annexes. The call follows a single-stage submission process.