Topic updates
17 December 2025
GENERALISED FEEDBACK for successful applicants of HORIZON-CL6-2025-FARM2FORK-05-two-stage
In order to best ensure equal treatment, successful stage 1 applicants do not receive the evaluation summary reports (ESRs) for their proposals, but this generalised feedback with information and tips for preparing the full proposal.
Information & tips
Main shortcomings found in the stage 1 evaluation:
- Certain aspects of methodology were not described with an adequate level of detail.
- The potential barriers that may determine whether the desired outcomes and impacts are achieved were not always well identified and/or the mitigation measures were not adequate.
- The scale and significance of the contribution of the project and its results to the expected outcomes and expected impacts were not adequately estimated and quantified and/or the estimations were not satisfactorily justified.
In your stage 2 proposal, you have a chance to address or clarify these issues.
Please bear in mind that your full proposal will now be evaluated more in-depth and possibly by a new group of outside experts.
Please make sure that your full proposal is consistent with your short outline proposal. It may NOT differ substantially. The project must stay the same.
17 December 2025
CALL UPDATE: FLASH EVALUATION RESULTS
EVALUATION results
Published: 06.05.2025
Deadline: 04.09.2025
Available budget: EUR 74.00 million
Budget per topic with separate ‘call-budget-split’:
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Topic code
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Type of action
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Budget
(EUR million)
|
|
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-05-two-stage
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RIA
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12.00
|
In accordance with General Annex D of the Work Programme, the evaluation of the first-stage proposals was made looking only at the criteria ‘Excellence’ and ‘Impact’. The threshold for both criteria was 4. The overall threshold (applying to the sum of the two individual scores) was set for each topic/type of action with separate call-budget-split at a level that allowed the total requested budget of proposals admitted to stage 2 be as close as possible to 2 times the available budget (and not less than 1.5 times the available budget):
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-05-two-stage: 9.5 points
The results of the evaluation for each topic are as follows:
|
|
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-F2F-05
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|
Number of proposals submitted (including proposals transferred from or to other calls)
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69
|
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Number of inadmissible proposals
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0
|
|
Number of ineligible proposals
|
3
|
|
Number of above-threshold proposals
|
7
|
|
Total budget requested for above-threshold proposals (EUR million)
|
41.26
|
Summary of observer report:
The Independent Observer finds that the evaluations followed the applicable rules for the call, and that the proposals were competently evaluated in a fair and equitable manner by the experts. The Independent Observer did not observe any event or activity that gave rise to specific concern that might have jeopardised the fairness of the evaluation. The Independent Observer understands that the experts were comfortable with the process and the schedule, and many expressed support for the blind evaluation process which would encourage new participation and reduce unintentional bias. ---
We recently informed the applicants about the evaluation results for their proposals.
For questions, please contact the Research Enquiry Service.
16 September 2025
Flash information on proposal numbers
The first stage of call HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-two-stage call has closed on 04/09/2025.
229 proposals have been submitted.
The breakdown per topic is:
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-05-two-stage: 69 proposals
Evaluation results are expected to be communicated in December 2025.
11 June 2025
Please note that due to a technical issue, during the first days of publication of this call, the topic page did not display the description of the corresponding destination. This problem is now solved. In addition to the information published in the topic page, you can always find a full description of the 7 destinations (Biodiversity and ecosystem services; Fair, healthy and environment-friendly food systems from primary production to consumption; Circular economy and bioeconomy sectors; Clean environment and zero pollution; Land, ocean and water for climate action; Resilient, inclusive, healthy and green rural, coastal and urban communities; Innovative governance, environmental observations and digital solutions in support of the Green Deal) that are relevant for the call in the Work Programme 2025 part for “Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment”. Please select from the work programme the destination relevant to your topic and take into account the description and expected impacts of that destination for the preparation of your proposal.
Developing agroecology living labs and lighthouses for climate action under the Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA) partnership
TOPIC ID: HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-05-two-stage
Type of grant: Call for proposals
General information
Programme:
Call: Cluster 6 Call 02 - two stage (HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-two-stage)
Type of action: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
Type of MGA: HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]
Status: Open for submission
Deadline model: two-stage
Opening Date: 06 May 2025
Deadline dates:
04 September 2025 17:00 (Brussels time)
18 February 2026 17:00 (Brussels time)
Topic description
Expected Outcome:
A successful proposal should support the European Green Deal priorities, contribute to the African Union-EU High Level Policy Dialogue on Science, Technology and Innovation and to the respective R&I partnerships on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA) and on Climate Change and Sustainable Energy. Proposals should contribute to the climate objectives of the African Union and the EU, and to the commitments of the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework. Projects will therefore contribute to the expected impacts of this Destination by developing innovative tools and approaches to improve the resilience, adaptation to climate change and sustainability of agriculture and food systems in Africa.
Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:
- the availability, accessibility and adoption by farmers, advisors and policymakers of fair and inclusive approaches and strategies that improve agricultural productivity and sustainability in Africa, while addressing climate challenges is accelerated, optimising the use of ecological processes with co-benefits for biodiversity;
- the coordination and experience sharing among researchers and agricultural actors in Africa is strengthened, in view of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and in line with the FNSSA roadmap[1];
- agri-food stakeholders benefit from enhanced climatic, environmental and socio-economic performance of African agroecological farming practices.
Scope:
Agroecology is a holistic approach that relies on and optimises the use of ecological processes to support agricultural production. By working more with nature and ecosystem services, it has the potential to increase farms’ circularity, diversification and autonomy, address climate challenges while preserving and enhancing biodiversity, and drive a full transformation of farming systems and agricultural value chains, from input substitution and beyond. Agroecological farming systems therefore have great potential to enhance the sustainability performance of agriculture and agricultural value chains that contribute to the objectives of the EU Green deal for agriculture and to the FNSSA partnership.
Living labs under this topic are intended as open innovation ecosystems in real-life sites using iterative feedback processes throughout a lifecycle approach of an innovation to create inclusive and sustainable impact.
While living labs are collaborative initiatives to co-create knowledge and innovations, lighthouses are sites for demonstration of exemplary and replicable solutions, training, peer-to-peer learning, and communications related to promoting agroecological approaches.
Proposals should:
- set up living labs and light houses as places for testing and demonstrating agroecological approaches in different pedoclimatic conditions in Africa;
- carry out participatory and transdisciplinary research and innovation activities in living labs with agricultural actors (e.g. researchers, farmers, advisors, policymakers), including on socio-economic aspects to support sustainability transitions and upscaling, to seek practical agroecological solutions to the climatic and biodiversity challenges/opportunities identified;
- identify sites that demonstrate high performance in terms of their actions and results on agroecology and that may be converted into lighthouses;
- strengthen interactions between existing living and new labs, light houses and like-minded arrangements on agroecology to share lessons and facilitate science policy interfaces using where relevant existing network arrangements, such as those under the Horizon Europe CEA-First project.
Proposals should contribute to the implementation of the short- and medium-term actions of the joint AU-EU Innovation Agenda, particularly in the area of Green (notably actions (4) and (5) among short-term actions and (1) and (3) for medium-term actions), and aim to translate R&I efforts into tangible business, products, services, development and quality employment opportunities and social economy enterprises in Africa and Europe. Proposals should be in line with the conclusions of the 2023 AU-EU Agriculture Ministerial Conference[2] and support the African Free Trade Area.
Proposals should contribute to the implementation of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) adopted R&I roadmaps[3] pertaining to climate change, particularly in the areas impact of water scarcity and drought in rural areas, sustainable agriculture production and biodiversity in changing climate.
Proposals should build on the experience gained with relevant former and on-going FNSSA projects on agroecological approaches under Horizon 2020 and the Horizon Europe Work Programmes, as well as with activities of the DeSIRA[4] initiative part of the EU International Partnerships. At the same time, proposals should create synergies with any relevant activities carried out under the European Partnership “Agroecology” (’Accelerating farming systems transition – agroecology living labs and research infrastructures') and targeted EU-Africa cooperation activities under the EU Mission “A soil deal for Europe”. Proposals should include a dedicated task and appropriate resources to create those synergies. To leverage opportunities for furthering impact and outreach, proposals should create synergies with the project resulting from the call “HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-16: Developing a joint AU-EU Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS) supporting the Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA) partnership”.
Proposals should adopt an inclusive approach that respects and integrates local knowledge and practices alongside technological and scientific expertise, where indigenous insights are enriched by innovative approaches and new technologies through mutual learning.
Proposals must implement the ‘multi-actor approach’ to ensure the adequate involvement of the farming sector, civils society and relevant policy actors.
Participation of Mediterranean countries other than from EU and AU is encouraged.
The possible contribution of the JRC could involve exploring possible pathways for a sustainable transition of agriculture and food systems, defining scenarios for the agro-ecological transition, assessing the impacts of such transition, engaging with stakeholders, disseminating results notably to policymakers and through cooperation with the EC Knowledge Centre for Global Food and Nutrition Security.
Proposals should ensure that gender dimension and social categories (e.g. disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnic and/or cultural origins, sexual orientation) and their intersections, are duly considered.
Proposals may involve financial support to third parties to researchers, farmers, advisors and other multidisciplinary actors contributing to the setting up of living labs and/or lighthouses. A maximum 30% of EU funding should be allocated to this purpose. The provision of training (including technical guidelines and ad-hoc materials) and support services to farmers may be considered as a criterion to grant financial support to third parties.
[1] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/strategy/strategy-2020-2024/europe-world/international-cooperation/regional-dialogues-and-international-organisations/eu-africa-cooperation/partnership-food-and-nutrition-security-and-sustainable-agriculture-fnssa_en
[2] https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/events/5th-african-union-au-european-union-eu-agriculture-ministerial-conference-2023-06-30_en
[3] https://ufmsecretariat.org/ministerial-conference-research-innovation-2022/
[4] https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/policies/programming/programmes/desira-development-smart-innovation-through-research-agriculture_en
General conditions
1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout
described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
2. Eligible Countries
described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
3. Other Eligible Conditions
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as member of the consortium selected for funding.
The following additional eligibility criteria apply: The proposals must apply the multi-actor approach. See definition of the multi-actor approach in the introduction to this work programme part.
The following additional eligibility criteria apply: The following additional eligibility criteria apply: due to the specific challenge of this topic, in addition to the minimum number of participants set out in the General Annexes, consortia must include at least three independent legal entities established in an African Union member state*. The places of establishment of at least two of these legal entities must be in the same region, as defined by the African Union: see https://au.int/en/member_states/countryprofiles2.
International organisations with headquarters in a Member State or Associated Country are exceptionally eligible for funding.
Due to the scope of this topic, legal entities established in all African Union member states* are exceptionally eligible for Union funding. * "African Union member states" includes countries whose membership has been temporarily suspended.
described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion
described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds
are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes
are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement
described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
6. 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 – 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) [[This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal, in the reference documents section for Horizon Europe, under ‘Simplified costs decisions’ or through this link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ls-decision_he_en.pdf]].
Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties (FSTP). The support to third parties can only be provided in the form of grants. The maximum amount to be granted to each third party is EUR 60 000.
described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Specific conditions
described in the [specific topic of the Work Programme]
Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):
Application form templates — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)
Standard application form (HE RIA IA Stage 1)
Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA and CSA Stage 1)
Guidance
HE Programme Guide
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
Lump Sum MGA
Call-specific instructions
Detailed budget table (HE LS)
Information on financial support to third parties (HE)
Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?"
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025 – 9. Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025 – 13. General Annexes
HE Programme Guide
HE Framework Programme 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
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
Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement
Start submission
To access the Electronic Submission Service, please click on the submission-button next to the type of action and the type of model grant agreement that corresponds to your proposal. You will then be asked to confirm your choice, as it cannot be changed in the submission system. Upon confirmation, you will be linked to the correct entry point.
To access existing draft proposals for this topic, please login to the Funding & Tenders Portal and select the My Proposals page of the My Area section.
Get support
Please read carefully all provisions below before the preparation of your application.
Online Manual is your guide on the procedures from proposal submission to managing your grant.
Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains the detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of Horizon Europe.
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – find the answers to most frequently asked questions on submission of proposals, evaluation and grant management.
Research Enquiry Service – ask questions about any aspect of European research in general and the EU Research Framework Programmes in particular.
National Contact Points (NCPs) – get guidance, practical information and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe. There are also NCPs in many non-EU and non-associated countries (‘third-countries’).
Enterprise Europe Network – contact your EEN national contact for advice to businesses with special focus on SMEs. The support includes guidance on the EU research funding.
IT Helpdesk – contact the Funding & Tenders Portal IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc.
European IPR Helpdesk assists you on intellectual property issues.
CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk – the European Standards Organisations advise you how to tackle standardisation in your project proposal.
The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment – consult the general principles and requirements specifying the roles, responsibilities and entitlements of researchers, employers and funders of researchers.
Partner Search help you find a partner organisation for your proposal.
