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Call key data

Nutrients produced by microorganisms utilising primarily CO2 from the air, with the support of biotechnology

Funding Program

Horizon Europe: Cluster 6 - Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Call number

HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-14

deadlines

Opening
06.05.2025

Deadline
16.09.2025 17:00

Funding rate

70%

Call budget

€ 12,000,000.00

Estimated EU contribution per project

€ 6,000,000.00

Link to the call

ec.europa.eu

Link to the submission

ec.europa.eu

Call content

short description

In line with Food 2030 R&I initiative and the Commission communication on: Building the future with nature: Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU, the successful proposal will address the application of the precision fermentation through genetically engineered microorganisms and will contribute to safer food systems. It will also promote innovation through the creation of new start-ups companies in the field of food production via biotechnology. The outcomes will foster EU strategic autonomy and leadership in delivering innovative nutrient production processes through business models for food applications in industrial plants and SMEs.

Call objectives

Innovations using microorganisms have the potential to deliver benefits in several fields, such as agriculture, food and feed, industries, environment, marine/aquatic and biodiversity. The use of microorganisms genetically engineered for precision fermentation is an innovative approach that could significantly contribute to safer food systems. This biotechnology leverages the capabilities of microorganisms to produce nutrients including enzymes, fats, and other valuable compounds with high efficiency and specificity. Therefore, it represents a key area for investments and research, promising to revolutionise the food system and to contribute to a healthier planet.

Expected effects and impacts

The proposals should address all the following activities:

  • analyse and provide the costs and investments needed for the use of the biotechnology for scaling up production of nutrients through the use of genetically engineered microorganisms that capture CO2 from the air and/or from on-site plant emissions;
  • establish an open space database or platform for companies to create their own business models for precision fermentation using genetically engineered microorganisms and perform a pre-commercialisation testing alongside business model strategies development as well as also in situ application;
  • establish business models for industry and for in-situ application, considering also gases other than CO2;
  • evaluate the sustainability, efficiency, and resilience of European companies that use precision fermentation with genetically engineered microorganisms and their contribution to reducing the presence of CO2 in the air. Climate-related aspects should also be considered as far as possible;
  • provide a scale-up feasibility analysis for the developed biotechnologies which should take into consideration in the design process the feasibility for up-scaling, already from the early stages.

The proposals must implement the 'multi-actor approach' and ensure adequate involvement of existing private companies in Europe, specifically the participation of SMEs and start-ups.

The proposals should include a dedicated task in the workplan and appropriate resources to collaborate with the projects funded under this topic.

The proposals are expected to establish links with Regional Innovation Valleys for the bioeconomy and food systems (RIV4BFS) to encourage the deployment of technologies related to biotechnological processes across the EU regions.

If possible, cross-articulation with data spaces, and notably with the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) should be foreseen, exploiting synergies and complementarities of the different approaches. Proposals are also encouraged to consider, where relevant, the services offered by European research infrastructures such as IBISBA or other relevant research infrastructures as well as the services offered by the existing technology infrastructures.

To maximise the impacts of R&I, collaboration with international partners, in particular with those established in the United States, is encouraged.

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Expected results

Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:

  • the costs and resource-efficiency of bioreactors and upstream and downstream processing is delivered by industry or by other industry related actors (e.g., association, consultants, or engineering experts);
  • the environmental and climate impacts resulting from the reduction of CO2 in the air are better understood;
  • food producing companies support the set-up of new or existing living laboratory facilities and pre-commercialisation infrastructure or shared infrastructure solutions to test the implementation of biotechnologies;
  • innovative technologies are identified for the use of microorganisms that have been genetically engineered transforming CO2 into nutrients for food purposes and scaled up by SMEs and innovative start-ups;
  • existing pilot plants in Europe are improved to scale up the production by identifying and removing barriers that slow down the scaling up of the production of nutrients for food and food ingredients.

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Eligibility Criteria

Regions / countries for funding

EU Member States, Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT)
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Armenia (Հայաստան), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Canada, Faeroes (Føroyar / Færøerne), Georgia (საქართველო), Iceland (Ísland), Israel (ישראל / إِسْرَائِيل), Kosovo (Kosova/Kosovë / Косово), Montenegro (Црна Гора), New Zealand (Aotearoa), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Tunisia (تونس /Tūnis), Türkiye, Ukraine (Україна), United Kingdom

eligible entities

EU Body, Education and training institution, 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
  • 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.

other eligibility criteria

Specific cases:

  • 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 (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 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.
  • Legal entities created under EU law (EU bodies) including decentralised agencies may be part of the consortium, unless provided for otherwise in their basic act.
  • International European research organisations are eligible to receive funding. International organisations with headquarters in a Member State or Associated Country are eligible to receive funding for ‘Training and mobility’ actions or when provided for in the specific call/topic conditions. Other international organisations are not eligible to receive funding, unless provided for in the specific call/topic conditions, or if their participation is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority.
  • 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.
  • EU restrictive measures — Entities subject to EU restrictive measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) as well as Article 75 TFEU, are not eligible to participate in any capacity, including as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any).
  • Legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine — Given the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the involvement of Belarus, there is currently no appropriate context allowing the implementation of the actions foreseen in this programme with legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine. Therefore, even where such entities are not subject to EU restrictive measures, such legal entities are not eligible to participate in any capacity. This includes participation as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any). Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis for justified reasons.
    With specific regard to measures addressed to Russia, following the adoption of the Council Regulation (EU) 2024/1745 of 24 June 2024 (amending Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 of 31 July 2014) concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine, legal entities established outside Russia but whose proprietary rights are directly or indirectly owned for more than 50% by a legal person, entity or body established in Russia are also not eligible to participate in any capacity.
  • Measures for the protection of the Union budget against breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary — Following the Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2506, as of 16 December 2022, no legal commitments can be entered into with Hungarian public interest trusts established under the Hungarian Act IX of 2021 or any entity they maintain. Affected entities may continue to apply to calls for proposals and can participate without receiving EU funding, as associated partners, if allowed by the call conditions. However, as long as the Council measures are not lifted, such entities are not eligible to participate in any funded role (beneficiaries, affiliated entities, subcontractors, recipients of financial support to third parties, etc.).In case of multi-beneficiary grant calls, applicants will be invited to remove or replace that entity in any funded role and/or to change its status into associated partner. Tasks and budget may be redistributed accordingly.

Additional information

Topics

Agriculture & Forestry, Fishery, Food, Soil quality, 
Air Quality, Biodiversity & Environment, Climate & Climate Change, Water quality & management

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)

Additional Information

Applications 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.

Applications must be submitted using the forms provided inside the electronic submission system (not the templates available on the topic page, which are only for information). The structure and presentation must correspond to the instructions given in the forms.

Applications must be complete and contain all parts and mandatory annexes and supporting documents.

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.

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 7 by the end of the project.

Call documents

Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Cluster 6 - Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and EnvironmentHorizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Cluster 6 - Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment(kB)

Contact

National Contact Points for Horizon Europe
Website

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