EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities for the Grant “Emerging and future risks to plant health”

1. Single Market Access

Why it matters: The EU’s 450+ million consumers and 10+ million farms form the world’s largest integrated agri-food marketplace.

• Harmonised phytosanitary rules (Reg. 2016/2031) mean that validated diagnostic kits, surveillance software or biocontrol products developed under this call can be commercialised in 27 Member States without re-authorisation cycles, slashing time-to-market by up to 24 months compared with sequential national approvals.

• Common Customs Code and free movement of goods enable rapid deployment of pest-monitoring devices or resistant plant varieties along trans-EU supply chains, protecting cross-border value chains (e.g., citrus, olive, forestry products).

• Participation positions consortia for listing in the forthcoming EU Digital Product Passport for agri-inputs, opening direct B2B channels to cooperatives and input suppliers across the whole Single Market.

2. Cross-Border Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange

• Mandatory multi-actor approach incentivises consortia that blend Nordic early-warning satellite services, Mediterranean field epidemiology, and Central-European genomics labs—accelerating TRL 3→6 progress through complementary excellence.

• Access to EU COST networks, Euphresco, EPPO and the Standing Committee on Plants allows rapid dissemination of SOPs and decision-support tools to 1200+ plant-health inspectors across borders.

• International cooperation clause supports teaming with neighbouring IPA & ENI countries, mitigating pest entry at the EU border and broadening field-trial ecotypes.

3. Strong Alignment with EU Flagship Policies

• European Green Deal & Farm-to-Fork: Delivers pesticide-use reduction targets (-50 % by 2030) via integrated pest-management (IPM) innovations.

• EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030: Protects native flora and forest ecosystems; contributes to the 30 % protected-area objective by reducing invasive pest pressure.

• Climate Adaptation Strategy: Generates predictive models for pest range shifts under 1.5 °C/2 °C scenarios, feeding into the EU Climate Data Store.

• One Health Action Plan: Recognises plant-animal-human interface, cutting zoonotic spill-over risks and antibiotic use in feed crops.

4. Regulatory Harmonisation Benefits

• Results feed directly into updates of EU Implementing Acts and EPPO standards, ensuring swift regulatory uptake.

• Unified EU authorisation path for low-risk biocontrol agents (Reg. 1107/2009) enables launch in all Member States simultaneously, enhancing ROI.

• Data compliant with EFSA’s new Open Food Safety Data Space fosters regulator–industry trust and reduces duplication in dossiers.

5. Access to the EU Innovation Ecosystem

• Easy linkage to over 25 ESFRI plant science infrastructures (EMPHASIS, ELIXIR, AnaEE) gives access to high-throughput phenotyping, genomics cloud, and controlled-environment platforms at subsidised rates.

• Synergies with EIT Food KIC provide acceleration vouchers and market-entry mentoring for start-ups emerging from the project.

• Horizon lump-sum model simplifies admin, freeing 5-10 % of project time for actual R&I and easing SME participation.

6. Funding Synergies & Leverage

• Blending options with the CAP’s €98 bn 2023-27 envelopes—Member States can top-up pilot sites via Eco-Schemes supporting IPM.

• LIFE Programme can fund post-project large-scale demonstration of successful biocontrol in Natura 2000 sites.

• Digital Europe & Connecting Europe Facility can bankroll the IoT infrastructure for cross-border pest surveillance networks.

• InvestEU’s Research Window can provide scale-up loans for manufacturing diagnostic kits validated in the project.

7. Scale & Impact Potential

• EU-wide datasets generated (genomes, distribution maps, socio-economic impact models) become reference standards, boosting Europe’s global leadership in phytosanitary analytics.

• Results can underpin an EU Plant Health Rapid Alert System—analogous to RASFF—enhancing strategic autonomy and food security.

• Estimated impact: up to €2 bn/year avoided crop losses and 3 Mt CO₂-eq emissions saved by 2035 if solutions are adopted across 80 % of EU arable and forestry land.

8. Strategic Takeaways for Applicants

1. Build a geographically balanced consortium that covers major climatic zones and leverages regional pest-specific know-how.

2. Integrate ESFRI infrastructures and EPPO expertise early to maximise scientific credibility and regulatory traction.

3. Map out complementary funding (CAP Eco-Schemes, LIFE) in the proposal’s exploitation section to demonstrate sustainability beyond Horizon financing.

4. Emphasise harmonised protocols and open data standards to facilitate seamless EU-wide deployment and policy uptake.

By capitalising on these EU-level advantages, applicants can move beyond fragmented national initiatives, achieving faster innovation cycles, lower compliance costs, and a continent-wide impact on plant health resilience and sustainable agri-food systems.