EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities for the Call

HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-03-two-stage

Executive Snapshot

The Innovation Action (IA) call targets rapid market-uptake (up to TRL 8) of technological solutions that boost the resilience of Europe’s food system against safety risks and fraud. Because food supply chains, regulatory standards and consumer markets in the EU are deeply integrated, the topic offers unique advantages that can only be captured at a pan-European scale.

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1. Single Market Access

• 450+ million consumers covered by a harmonised General Food Law (Reg. 178/2002) mean a single regulatory entry point for novel safety technologies (e.g. rapid pathogen detection, blockchain traceability).

• Mutual recognition of conformity assessments allows one validation study or pilot plant to unlock sales in 27 Member States, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, slashing time-to-market and regulatory duplication costs (ca. -30 %).

• Integrated logistics and customs-free movement of goods facilitate EU-wide roll-out of sensor kits, AI software or novel decontamination units produced in one Member State and deployed in another.

2. Cross-Border Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange

• The call explicitly requests multi-actor consortia; cross-border teams can tap specialist competences (e.g. photonics hubs in BE/NL, molecular diagnostics clusters in DE, biotechnology in DK/ES, food fraud forensics in IT/GR).

• Participation of governmental authorities (EFSA, national food agencies) ensures early alignment with enforcement bodies and co-creation of “regulatory sandboxes” that are recognised across the Union.

• Shared data spaces under the European Strategy for Data facilitate federated AI models for hazard prediction, trained on datasets contributed by labs in multiple Member States—something unattainable under isolated national projects.

3. Alignment with Key EU Policies

• Green Deal & Farm-to-Fork: Direct contribution through clean safety technologies that reduce chemical preservatives and energy use, cutting GHG emissions along food chains.

• “Food Safety Systems of the Future” pathway (Food 2030): Projects can become flagships showcasing how tech transfer bridges the “innovation paradox” identified by the Commission.

• Digital Europe Programme (DEP): Synergies for cloud/edge infrastructure and AI Testing & Experimentation Facilities (TEFs) for agri-food.

• EU Climate Action: Demonstrable CO₂ savings align with the EU’s 55 % reduction target and can count as sustainable investments under the EU Taxonomy.

4. Regulatory Harmonisation Benefits

• EU food law offers common definitions of hazards and fraud, making it easier to design interoperable detection platforms.

• A single European validation (e.g. CEN/ISO standard or EFSA opinion) can be used by food businesses in all Member States, maximising Return on R&I.

• Projects can influence upcoming revisions of the Hygiene Package or Digital Product Passport by providing real-world evidence from multi-country pilots.

5. Access to Europe’s Innovation Ecosystem

• Research Infrastructures: METROFOOD-RI, ELIXIR (genomics), ACTRIS (atmospheric impact on food safety) offer state-of-the-art facilities at EU negotiated tariffs.

• EIT Food and EIT Manufacturing provide accelerator services, venture funds and test farms across the continent.

• Interface with the European Innovation Council (EIC) Pathfinder/Transition for upstream tech and EIC Accelerator for post-project scale-up financing.

• Clusters & Missions: Alignment with the Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe” when addressing soil-borne contaminants, allowing cross-mission funding or dissemination.

6. Funding & Policy Synergies

• Combine Horizon funding with:

• InvestEU guarantees for first-of-a-kind demo plants.

• Digital Europe grants for cybersecurity and data spaces.

• LIFE Programme for environmental pilots related to reduced chemical usage.

• CAP’s Horizon Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) to cascade results to farmers via AKIS networks.

• Leverage Smart Specialisation (S3) funds for regional co-investment in pilot facilities, ensuring quicker absorption of TRL 8 outputs.

7. Scale & Impact Potential

• TRL 8 objective paired with the EU’s unified market enables near-immediate commercial deployment post-project (2028-2030).

• Expected spill-over effects: lower recall costs (~15 % reduction), improved export competitiveness (single EU certificate recognised in key FTAs) and lower GHG emissions (~0.5 Mt CO₂e/year by 2035 if rolled out to 25 % of EU processing plants).

• Possibility to create EU-wide public-private reference labs or “Living Labs” for continuous certification and updates, cementing Europe’s role as global standard-setter.

8. Strategic Recommendations for Applicants

1. Map and integrate at least 6-8 Member States to secure geographical diversity and broad demonstration contexts (north/south; large-scale & SME plants).

2. Embed EFSA and two National Competent Authorities as consortium partners or formal advisory members to accelerate regulatory uptake.

3. Allocate dedicated work package for standardisation (CEN/CENELEC & ISO) to fast-track EU-wide adoption.

4. Plan joint exploitation with EIT Food venture programmes and InvestEU to ensure post-grant scale-up capital.

5. Utilise EU Digital Identity and GAIA-X compliance for data layers, reinforcing trust and cross-border interoperability.

6. Include citizen science or consumer co-creation pilots in at least three countries to fulfil societal engagement criteria and boost market acceptance.

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Conclusion

Pursuing this call at EU scale multiplies commercial, regulatory and societal impacts compared with standalone national projects. By leveraging the Single Market, harmonised legislation, world-class infrastructures and complementary EU funding streams, consortia can convert Europe’s rich food-safety knowledge base into deployable, climate-smart technologies that benefit the entire Union and position European companies as global leaders in safe, sustainable food systems.