Transforming Food Systems - reshaping food system interactions, fostering food innovations and empowering sustainable food choices

The FutureFoodS Partnership is offering a funding opportunity aimed at transforming European food systems to be more sustainable and resilient. This initiative is part of the Horizon Europe framework and has a total budget of €39 million. The call seeks to address complex challenges faced by European food systems by promoting systemic changes through innovative research and collaboration among various stakeholders.

Eligible applicants include universities, research institutes, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), large enterprises, nonprofits, and public-private partnerships focused on food system innovation. However, entities solely engaged in primary agricultural production or addressing nutrition-related diseases are excluded from eligibility.

The funding mechanism is structured as grants, consistent with Horizon Europe's approach, and projects are required to involve transnational collaboration, necessitating partners from at least three eligible countries. The beneficiary scope includes EU member states, EEA countries, and associated nations, with participation from 36 organizations across 19 countries.

The grant emphasizes three thematic areas: sustainable and resilient food systems, new food technologies and supply chain innovations, and empowering sustainable consumer choices. Applicants are expected to align their projects with these topics, demonstrating innovative approaches to improve food systems.

The application process consists of two stages: a mandatory pre-proposal submission due by January 15, 2025, and a full proposal submission by July 9, 2025. The evaluation will assess projects based on criteria of excellence, impact, and implementation quality.

Funding for individual projects is projected to range between €1 million and €5 million, though specific amounts will depend on project scope and requirements. Co-funding may be required as per the regulations of the participating organizations, and applicants are encouraged to consult additional resources available on the submission platform for guidance.

In summary, this grant opportunity under the FutureFoodS Partnership seeks to mobilize investments towards sustainable food systems innovations, encouraging collaboration among research organizations, businesses, and nonprofits. Proposals must reflect originality, support EU initiatives, and consider the complex interactions within food systems while adhering to the outlined application process and themes. The total allocation of €39 million is aimed at fostering transformative projects scheduled to commence between November 2025 and March 2026.

The FutureFoodS Partnership is offering a funding opportunity titled "Transforming Food Systems - reshaping food system interactions, fostering food innovations and empowering sustainable food choices." The call aims to address the complex challenges making current European food systems unsustainable by mobilizing knowledge, actors, and resources through a food systems approach. The total funding available is 39,000,000.00 €. The project acronym is FutureFoodS, and the full name of the EU funded project is European partnership for a sustainable Future of Food Systems. The grant agreement number is 101136361. The topic is HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01-9 - European partnership on sustainable food systems for people, planet and climate.

The call was launched on Wednesday, 6 November 2024. It employs a two-step submission process via an Electronic Proposal Submission System (EPSS) available at https://futurefoods.ptj.de. The deadline for mandatory pre-proposal submission is Wednesday, 15 January 2025, at 13:00 CET (Brussels time). The results of the evaluation of the first step will be available in May 2025. The deadline for full proposal submission is Wednesday, 9 July 2025, at 13:00 CEST (Brussels time). Recommendations for funding will be made in late October 2025, and projects are expected to start between 1 November 2025 and 1 March 2026.

Research proposals will be evaluated by independent experts based on specific criteria. At the pre-proposal stage (step 1), the criteria are excellence and impact. At the full proposal stage (step 2), the criteria are excellence, impact, and quality and efficiency of the implementation. A detailed list of evaluation criteria and resources for application preparation are available on the submission platform at https://futurefoods.ptj.de.

Proposals should delineate and characterize the specific food system under inquiry, identifying key actors, main dependencies, and levers for enhanced sustainability, and how the chosen system connects to other food systems. Applicants must demonstrate originality and build on existing EU-level initiatives, fostering synergies with other initiatives and considering the changing policy environment.

Each application must focus on one of the following three call topics, clearly indicated in the proposal:

1. The way towards sustainable and resilient food systems
2. New foods – Fostering innovations in food design, processing and supply via demand-and-supply reorientation
3. Empowering sustainable food choices – Enabling food environments and dietary shifts

The call does not focus on primary production (on land and sea/water), agricultural production, or diseases related to nutrition and lifestyle, as these are covered in other Horizon Europe partnerships. However, dependencies and impacts related to these aspects may need to be reflected upon in a project to fully embrace a food systems approach.

The Call Announcement provides details on the call's aim, expected approach, topics, participating countries/regions, eligibility criteria, submission, evaluation, selection procedures, and funding and reporting modalities. Specific funding regulations apply depending on the funding organizations, and each partner must ensure their contribution conforms to these regulations, as detailed in "Annex I - National/regional regulations" available on the submission platform.

In summary, this FutureFoodS Partnership call seeks to fund projects that address the unsustainability of current European food systems through a holistic, food systems approach. It requires a two-step application process, focusing on excellence, impact, and implementation quality. Projects must align with one of three specified topics, demonstrating originality and synergy with existing initiatives, while considering the broader policy context. The call emphasizes understanding the interconnectedness of food systems and identifying leverage points for sustainability, excluding primary production and nutrition-related diseases as primary focuses, but acknowledging their potential relevance within a food systems framework. The total funding available is 39 million euros.

Eligible Applicant Types: The document does not explicitly list eligible applicant types. However, it mentions "partners applying to the call," suggesting that a variety of organizations capable of contributing to research and innovation in food systems could be eligible. Further details on eligibility can be found in the Call Announcement and Annex I, available on the submission platform.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, as indicated by the terms "funding," "grant agreement number," and "modalities for projects funding and reporting." The call is part of the Horizon Europe program, which primarily uses grants.

Consortium Requirement: The document implies that a consortium is likely required, as it refers to "partners applying to the call" and mentions that specific funding regulations apply depending on the funding organizations, suggesting multiple entities are involved.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The document mentions countries/regions participating in funding the call, implying that eligibility is tied to these participating entities. The call is part of the Horizon Europe program, suggesting that EU member states and associated countries are likely eligible. Specific details are available in the Call Announcement.

Target Sector: The program targets the food systems sector, with a focus on sustainability, resilience, innovation in food design and processing, and empowering sustainable food choices. It specifically excludes primary production (on land and sea/water) and diseases related to nutrition and lifestyle, which are covered by other Horizon Europe partnerships.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned in the provided text. However, the call is part of the Horizon Europe program, implying that EU member states and associated countries are likely involved. The document refers to "National/regional regulations," suggesting that funding is distributed at least partially through national or regional funding organizations.

Project Stage: The call appears to target projects in the research, development, and potentially demonstration stages. The assessment criteria emphasize excellence, impact, quality, and efficiency of implementation, suggesting that projects should be beyond the initial idea stage and ready for implementation and demonstration.

Funding Amount: The total funding available for the call is 39,000,000.00 €. The document does not specify the funding range for individual projects, but this total amount suggests that multiple projects will be funded, with variable funding amounts depending on the project scope and requirements.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a two-step process. The first step involves a mandatory submission of pre-proposals, and the second step involves the submission of full proposals by those who pass the first stage.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants to support their projects.

Application Stages: There are two application stages: a mandatory pre-proposal submission and a full proposal submission for those who pass the first stage.

Success Rates: The document does not provide specific success rates.

Co-funding Requirement: The document does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required. However, it mentions that specific funding regulations apply depending on the funding organizations, suggesting that co-funding might be required by some of the participating national or regional funding bodies.

Summary:

This is a Horizon Europe FutureFoodS partnership call for proposals focused on transforming food systems to be more sustainable and resilient. The call has a total budget of 39 million euros. The call aims to address complex challenges in European food systems by mobilizing knowledge, actors, and resources through a food systems approach. The call is structured around three main topics: (1) The way towards sustainable and resilient food systems, (2) New foods – Fostering innovations in food design, processing and supply via demand-and-supply reorientation, and (3) Empowering sustainable food choices – Enabling food environments and dietary shifts. The call employs a two-step application process: a mandatory pre-proposal submission followed by a full proposal submission for selected applicants. Research proposals will be evaluated based on excellence and impact at the pre-proposal stage, and on excellence, impact, and quality and efficiency of implementation at the full proposal stage. The call is open for submission, with deadlines for pre-proposals on January 15, 2025, and for full proposals on July 9, 2025. The projects are expected to start between November 1, 2025, and March 1, 2026. Applicants should focus on originality, build on existing EU initiatives, and foster synergies with other initiatives. The call excludes primary production and diseases related to nutrition and lifestyle, focusing instead on a holistic food systems approach. Specific funding regulations apply depending on the funding organizations involved, and applicants should consult Annex I for details. The call is managed by the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation.