💰 Funding Details

Funding Description

1. What the Grant Funds

* Deployment and scale-up (TRL 6→8) of technological solutions that reduce food safety risks and/or food fraud across the entire food chain.

* Activities may include: prototype up-scaling, pilot lines, demo plants, validation in operational environments, regulatory sandbox testing, business modelling, and preparatory commercialisation steps.

* Clean, low-carbon technologies are explicitly favoured when competing options are equivalent.

2. Type of Action & Reimbursement

* HORIZON-IA – Innovation Action (budget-based MGA)

* For-profit beneficiaries: up to 70 % of eligible direct costs + 25 % flat-rate indirect costs.

* Non-profit legal entities: up to 100 % + 25 % indirect costs.

3. Financial Framework

* Maximum EC contribution per project: €18 000 000.

* No rigid minimum/maximum consortium size, but budgets in the €12-18 M range are expected for credibility at TRL 8.

* Typical project duration: 36–48 months.

* Subcontracting, purchase, and in-kind contributions are eligible if clearly justified and budgeted.

4. Eligibility Snapshot

* At least three independent legal entities from three different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.

* Mandatory inclusion of:

* Technology providers (start-ups/SMEs, RTOs, universities)

* End-users across the food chain (farmers, processors, retailers)

* Regulatory/inspection bodies (e.g. EFSA focal points, national food-safety authorities)

* A consortium Gender Equality Plan (GEP) is required for all public bodies, higher-education institutions, and research organisations.

5. Timetable

* Call opening: 06 May 2025

* *Stage 1* short proposal (≈10 pages): 04 Sept 2025, 17:00 CET

* Invitation to Stage 2: mid-Nov 2025 (indicative)

* *Stage 2* full proposal: 18 Feb 2026, 17:00 CET

* Grant signature & project start: Q4 2026

6. Evaluation Criteria (weighted equally at both stages)

1. Excellence – scientific soundness, credibility of TRL leap, multi-actor approach

2. Impact – market potential, climate & Green Deal contribution, exploitation plan, EU added value

3. Quality & Efficiency of Implementation – work plan, resources, risk & IP management

7. Key Compliance Elements

* Multi-actor, citizen & stakeholder engagement

* Complementarity task with past Horizon projects (explicit mapping & collaboration budget)

* Open Science, Data Management Plan, and exploitation pathway reaching TRL 8

* Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) and Climate Impact self-assessment

* Ethics screening (e.g., genomic, molecular, biotech methods)

📊 Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation Focus (Stage 2)

* Excellence (0-5, weight 1): Clarity of gap analysis; scientific/technological credibility of TRL upgrade plan; novelty vs. state of the art.

* Impact (0-5, weight 1.5): Credible pathway to market, quantified risk-reduction & GHG savings, exploitation/commercialisation plan, EU strategic autonomy.

* Quality & Efficiency of Implementation (0-5, weight 1): Robust workplan, realistic budget, risk management, access to research infrastructures (e.g., METROFOOD-RI), multi-actor governance.

Thresholds: ≥4 for Impact, ≥3 for others; overall ≥10/15.

📝 Application Strategy

Application Strategy

1. Build a High-Impact Consortium

* Lead with a technology-deploying industry partner capable of piloting at scale.

* Include SMEs or start-ups offering cutting-edge detection/traceability tools (omics, photonics, AI, blockchain).

* Bring in regulators (EFSA national points, ministries) early to co-design sandbox trials.

* Secure at least one research infrastructure (e.g., METROFOOD-RI) to host validation.

* Add financial/impact investors to strengthen commercialisation credibility.

2. Map & Leverage Existing Knowledge

* Perform a gap/needs analysis referencing HORIZON-CL6-2023-F2F-01-12, 2024-F2F-01-3/4, relevant ERC/EIC outcomes.

* Draft Memoranda of Understanding for data, samples, or IP transfer from finished projects.

3. Nail the Two-Stage Narrative

Stage 1 (≈10 pages)

1. Problem & Opportunity – quantify emerging food-safety/fraud risks, climate linkages.

2. Solution – concise TRL roadmap, why chosen tech beats state-of-the-art, alignment with Green Deal.

3. Impact – KPIs: % reduction in recalls, CO₂-eq saved, cost per test vs. baseline, jobs created.

4. Consortium Strength – show end-to-end chain coverage.

5. Budget headline – coherent with activities (~€15 M request).

Stage 2 (full proposal)

* Expand into detailed work packages (WPs):

* WP1 Needs & Tech Gap Analysis

* WP2 Tech Optimisation & Scale-up (pilot/ demo)

* WP3 Regulatory Sandbox & Risk Assessment

* WP4 LCA / Climate Impact & DNSH proof

* WP5 Market Uptake & Business Modelling (TRL 8 by M36)

* WP6 Cross-project Synergies, Dissemination, Citizen Engagement

* Add exploitation/commercialisation plan annex with revenue projections & funding mix (EIC Accelerator, Venture Debt, national schemes).

4. Budgeting Tips

* Keep subcontracting <15 % unless strongly justified.

* Allocate ≥1 % for citizen engagement and ≥5 % for exploitation & IP activities.

* Reserve ~3-4 % contingency for inflation & supply-chain risks affecting pilot lines.

5. Risk & IP Management

* Draft a foreground IP ownership table; adopt joint-exploitation or licensing models.

* Create a risk register with technological, regulatory, and market risks; assign mitigation owners.

6. Demonstrate Policy Alignment

* Cross-reference Food 2030 Pathways for Action 2.0 (Food Safety Systems of the Future).

* Show contribution to EU Climate Target Plan 2030 and Zero Pollution Action Plan.

7. Boost Evaluation Scores

* Excellence: highlight unique integration of digital + clean-tech + biotech.

* Impact: quantify economic savings for SMEs, consumer confidence metrics, export potential.

* Implementation: Gantt chart with clear critical path; gender-balanced governance board.

8. Practical Checklist Before Submission

☑ Validated PICs, LEARs, and signed consortium declaration of honour

☑ Draft Gender Equality Plans uploaded for all public bodies

☑ Ethics self-assessment completed in Funding & Tenders Portal

☑ Upload mandatory annexes (Gantt, diagrams, TRL tables, letters of intent from regulators/end-users)

☑ PDF size < 10 MB (Stage 1) / < 50 MB (Stage 2)

Following this structured approach maximises your chances of securing up to €18 million to bring high-impact food-safety technologies to the European market.

Making food systems more resilient to food safety risks through the deployment of technological solutions

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