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Call key data
New knowledge and innovations for climate-smart farming - connecting research stations
Funding Program
Horizon Europe - Cluster 6 - Destination 5: Land, ocean and water for climate action
Call number
HORIZON-CL6-2024-CLIMATE-02-1
deadlines
Opening
08.05.2024
Deadline
24.09.2024 17:00
Funding rate
100%
Call budget
€ 12,000,000.00
Estimated EU contribution per project
€ 12,000,000.00
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
short description
Generating new knowledge and innovative climate-smart practices and mainstreaming their use has been recognised as a priority at the global level, including by the G-20. The project to be implemented is, therefore, expected to conduct research and innovation activities for climate-smart agriculture that contributes to mitigation of and adaptation to climate change.
Call objectives
The overall aim is to establish a three-level network in a phased manner over Cluster 6 work programmes 2021-2022 and 2023-2024. The first level is a network which engages front-runner farmers introducing on-farm trials and demonstration of climate-smart innovations, using existing knowledge (project “Climate Farm Demo”). The second level is a network to connect all advisors on the subject in the Member States, building on achievements of Horizon 2020 projects, EIP-AGRI operational groups and the development of Member States’ AKIS, to ensure the provision of targeted advice (project “ClimateSmartAdvisors”). The third level of the network – the present topic – will engage and strengthen the capacity of experimental research stations and develop new knowledge and innovative solutions for climate-smart agriculture.
Proposals should:
- Using a multi-actor approach, develop practice-oriented new knowledge, skills and innovations for adaptation to and/or mitigation of climate change in agriculture, taking into account a range of farming systems, land uses and pedo-climatic conditions across the EU and Associated Countries;
- Collect and compare tool-kits for assessing GHG balances at farm level, monitoring of performance in reducing emission, decision-support tools, climate services, etc. for possible use also on average farms;
- Systematically consider the synergies and trade-offs that exist between productivity, adaptation and mitigation, and between mitigation of different GHGs;
- Foster the role of ecosystems, where appropriate, in particular those with the most potential to capture and store carbon and to prevent and reduce the impact of natural disasters;
- Include a task and allocate adequate resources to closely collaborate with projects “Climate Farm Demo” funded under topic HORIZON-CL6-2021-CLIMATE-01-04 and “ClimateSmartAdvisors” funded under topic HORIZON-CL6-2022-CLIMATE-01-03, to test and assess the new knowledge and innovative solutions developed within the project in real conditions within the networks of pilot farms and of advisors, and to scientifically validate the contribution of practices emerging from those networks to the mitigation of or adaptation to climate change;
- Stimulate networking and collaboration between research stations and similarly focused research projects, including those funded under the mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’ and EJP SOIL, to avoid duplications and support cross-fertilisation between them;
- Foster knowledge exchange within and among Member States and regions, and establish links with EIP-AGRI stand of the EU CAP Network and Member States’ AKIS networks and coordination bodies.
The project should operate for at least four years and build on the outcomes of the climate-related projects from various funding sources.
The project must implement the multi-actor approach and may involve social innovation.
In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement.
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Expected effects and impacts
The European Green Deal gives research and innovation (R&I) a significant role to play in supporting the design and implementation of policies that will ensure the achievement of the EU’s climate objectives. Development and adoption of new knowledge and innovations contributing to climate change mitigation by farmers is a priority to ensure that the objectives of the European Climate Law (climate-neutrality by 2050), the EU zero pollution ambition and the proposal for a nature restoration law are met. Farming is also vulnerable to impacts of climate change; hence research and innovation into the adaptation possibilities is of utmost importance, in line with the EU Adaptation Strategy.
Expected results
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- The knowledge base of climate-smart farming practices is significantly expanded beyond the state of the art;
- Additional effective and innovative approaches for climate-smart agriculture in plant and animal production are developed and assessed in real conditions with all relevant actors involved;
- The widespread adoption by farmers of new knowledge, skills and innovative farming practices that mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) (in particular CO2, methane and nitrous oxide), and that foster adaptation of the sector to climate change, is accelerated.
Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Armenia (Հայաստան), Azerbaijan (Azərbaycan), Belarus (Беларусь), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Faeroes (Føroyar / Færøerne), Georgia (საქართველო), Iceland (Ísland), Israel (ישראל / إِسْرَائِيل), Kosovo (Kosova/Kosovë / Косово), Montenegro (Црна Гора), Morocco (المغرب), New Zealand (Aotearoa), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Tunisia (تونس /Tūnis), Türkiye, Ukraine (Україна), United Kingdom
eligible entities
Education and training institution, International organization, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
Mandatory partnership
Yes
Project Partnership
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States
- third countries associated to Horizon Europe - see list of particpating countries
Only legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions provided that the consortium includes, as beneficiaries, three legal entities independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:
- at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State; and
- at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.
Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
Specific cases:
- Affiliated entities — Affiliated entities (i.e. entities with a legal or capital link to a beneficiary which participate in the action with similar rights and obligations to the beneficiaries, but which do not sign the grant agreement and therefore do not become beneficiaries themselves) are allowed, if they are eligible for participation and funding.
- Associated partners — Associated partners (i.e. entities which participate in the action without signing the grant agreement, and without the right to charge costs or claim contributions) are allowed, subject to any conditions regarding associated partners set out in the specific call conditions.
- Entities without legal personality — Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees to protect the EU’s financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons.
- EU bodies — Legal entities created under EU law including decentralised agencies may be part of the consortium, unless provided for otherwise in their basic act.
- Joint Research Centre (‘JRC’)— Where provided for in the specific call conditions, applicants may include in their proposals the possible contribution of the JRC but the JRC will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Applicants will indicate the contribution that the JRC could bring to the project based on the scope of the topic text. After the evaluation process, the JRC and the consortium selected for funding may come to an agreement on the specific terms of the participation of the JRC. If an agreement is found, the JRC may accede to the grant agreement as beneficiary requesting zero funding or participate as an associated partner, and would accede to the consortium as a member.
- Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members (e.g. European research infrastructure consortia (ERICs)) may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. However, if the action is in practice implemented by the individual members, those members should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible.
Additional information
Topics
Relevance for EU Macro-Region
EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
project duration
min. 48 months
Additional Information
All proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funders & Tenders Portal electronic submission system (accessible via the topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section). Paper submissions are NOT possible.
Proposals must be complete and contain all parts and mandatory annexes and supporting documents, e.g. plan for the exploitation and dissemination of the results including communication activities, etc.
The application form will have two parts:
- Part A (to be filled in directly online) contains administrative information about the applicant organisations (future coordinator and beneficiaries and affiliated entities), the summarised budget for the proposal and call-specific questions;
- Part B (to be downloaded from the Portal submission system, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded as a PDF in the system) contains the technical description of the project.
Annexes and supporting documents will be directly available in the submission system and must be uploaded as PDF files (or other formats allowed by the system).
The limit for a full application (Part B) is 45 pages.
Call documents
Horizon Cluster 6 2024-2025Horizon Cluster 6 2024-2025(4585kB)
Contact
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