Boosting breeding for a sustainable, resilient and competitive European legume sector

Call Updates

Feb 8, 2023 8:03:50 PM

CALL UPDATE: FLASH EVALUATION RESULTS

EVALUATION results

Published: 16 June 2021

Deadline: 01 September 2022

Available budget:

The results of the evaluation are as follows:

We recently informed the applicants about the evaluation results for their proposals.

For questions, please contact the Research Enquiry Service.

May 25, 2022 3:41:32 PM

CALL UPDATE: GENERALISED FEEDBACK AFTER STAGE 1

GENERALISED FEEDBACK for successful applicants after STAGE 1

In order to best ensure equal treatment, successful stage 1 applicants do not receive the evaluation summary reports (ESRs) for their proposals.

There are no common shortcomings to all or most proposals.

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.

May 20, 2022 11:24:36 AM

CALL UPDATE: FLASH EVALUATION RESULTS

EVALUATION results

Published: 06 October 2021

Deadline: 15 February 2022

Available budget:

• HORIZON-CL6-2022-BIODIV-02-02-two-stage : €14.000.000,00

In accordance with General Annex F 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 3 times the available budget (and not below 2.5 times the budget):

• HORIZON-CL6-2022-BIODIV-02-02-two-stage (Boosting breeding for a sustainable, resilient and competitive European legume sector): 8 points

The results of the evaluation are as follows:

We recently informed the applicants about the evaluation results for their proposals.

For questions, please contact the Research Enquiry Service.

Feb 25, 2022 9:42:10 AM

PROPOSAL NUMBERS

Call HORIZON-CL6-2022-BIODIV-02-two-stage_stage1 has closed on the 15th of February 2022.

21 proposals have been submitted.                                                                                                   

The breakdown per topic is:

• HORIZON-CL6-2022-BIODIV-02-02-two-stage: 4

Evaluation results are expected to be communicated in May 2022.

Oct 28, 2021 12:00:06 AM

The submission session is now available for: HORIZON-CL6-2022-BIODIV-02-02-two-stage(HORIZON-IA)

Boosting breeding for a sustainable, resilient and competitive European legume sector

TOPIC ID: HORIZON-CL6-2022-BIODIV-02-02-two-stage

Programme: Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON)
Call: Biodiversity and ecosystem services (HORIZON-CL6-2022-BIODIV-02-two-stage)
Type of action: HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions
Type of MGA: HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]
Deadline model: two-stage
Planned opening date: 28 October 2021
Deadline dates:
15 February 2022 17:00:00 Brussels time
01 September 2022 17:00:00 Brussels time

Topic description

ExpectedOutcome:

A successful proposal should support the objectives of the EU biodiversity strategy and the farm to fork strategy to transition to a fair, healthy and resilient European agriculture, notably its objective to foster EU-grown plant proteins, in line with the ‘’Report on the development of plant proteins in the EU’’[1]. They should do so by increasing the availability of crops and breeds that cater for the specific needs of the legume sector, thus supporting increased (agro-) biodiversity and the transition to sustainable, productive, climate-neutral and resilient farming systems that minimise pressure on ecosystems while ensuring fair economic returns for farmers and food consumption that is sustainable in terms of both health and the environment.

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

• Improved legume varieties for different attributes/traits (e.g., resilience to abiotic and biotic stresses, nutrient composition, food and feed processing, flavour, etc.);
• Improved availability of and open access to data on breeding methods and legume breeding research outcomes;
• Increased competitiveness of the legume breeding sector through cost-effective legume breeding methods, novel governance models, testing, training and networking;
• Improved biodiversity and diversification of farming systems and agri-food value chains, as well as increased farmers’ competitiveness through the implementation of crop rotation systems based on the cultivation of legumes;
• Improved delivery of environmental services from agriculture, including the reduction of greenhouse gas and air pollution emissions.

Scope:

Legume crops are a source of food, feed and environmental services. For instance, legumes have the unique capacity to fix nitrogen in the soil and therefore improve soil fertility, while at the same time reducing the need to use conventional inorganic fertilisers. Legumes have an important role to play in the transition towards more sustainable farming systems that provide economic, environmental and social benefits and address relevant objectives of the EU biodiversity and farm to fork strategies. In view of the global increase in protein demand, a sustainable diversification of protein sources in the EU and Associated Countries needs to be explored and developed. Legume crops have a significant role to play in this regard. However, for a variety of reasons, legume production in the EU and Associated Countries is not sufficiently developed. Amongst others, a lack of breeding efforts and insufficient use of genetic resources are responsible for the low percentage of arable land currently used for legumes, despite their agronomic and environmental benefits. Closing gaps in breeding (traditional and new varieties) including facilitating knowledge and best practices sharing in legume breeding, can be a key driver for improving the competitiveness of legume crops grown in the EU and Associated Countries.

Proposals should build on the results of relevant EU-funded research projects. Proposals must implement the 'multi-actor approach' and ensure adequate involvement of farmers, the breeding sector and other relevant actors of the value chain. This topic is open for the breeding needs of the legume sector in conventional, agroecological and organic farming, and addresses all climate / biogeographical regions in the EU and Associated Countries. In order to achieve the expected outcomes, international cooperation is strongly encouraged. Proposals should include a clear plan to collaborate with other projects selected under this topic. In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement.

Proposals should develop a catalogue of legume species and varieties and desired characteristics driven by demands in the EU and Associated Countries food and feed chains. Proposals should develop a range of measures to improve legume varieties for different attributes, such as higher and more stable yields, enhanced tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses, resource efficiency, increased nitrogen-fixing capacity (e.g. enhanced use of plant root-microbiome interactions within rhizosphere layer), and enhanced nutritional quality, food and feed processing, etc., through pre-breeding and breeding activities and tapping into local and traditional varieties where relevant. Proposals should improve screening techniques to better understand genetic relationships, origin and susceptibility to specific attributes. Proposals should build an open repository of breeding methods and breeding research outcomes for different attributes. Proposals should analyse the cost-effectiveness of legume breeding methods and identify the best varieties suited for given uses (e.g. crop rotation, extensive agricultural livestock systems, etc.). Case studies of innovative engagement of value chain partners in legume breeding initiatives in different contexts should be analysed and key factors of success should be identified. Governance and financial models should be developed to support legume breeding initiatives that are inclusive for all actors in the value chain and that build linkages among those actors, with a view to strengthening legume demand. Proposals should design training packages tailored to the specific needs of different actors in the legume breeding and seed business to strengthen their capacities to achieve breeding gains. Building on existing tools or mechanisms, where relevant, proposals should set up a transdisciplinary EU and Associated Countries wide platform to facilitate trans-national and trans-regional knowledge and best practices sharing in legume breeding, including facilitating cross-regional testing of varieties. Proposals should foster demonstration and testing of legume breeding in different regions, with emphasis in regions where the legume breeding sector is less developed.