💰 Funding Details

Funding Description – HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-08

1. Overview

* Call Identifier: HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-08

* Action Type: HORIZON-RIA (Lump-Sum)

* Opening Date: 06 May 2025

* Deadline: 16 Sep 2025 – 17:00 (Brussels)

* Max. EU Contribution per Project: €50 million (lump-sum)

* Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP): Allowed (≤ 30 % of budget; ≤ €60 000 per SME)

2. Policy Context

* European Green Deal & EU Climate Law

* Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)

* Food 2030 & Farm-to-Fork Strategy

* Destination: Fair, healthy and environment-friendly food systems

3. Expected Outcomes

1. Holistic CEA knowledge base (technology, trade-offs, impacts, policy).

2. Evidence on sustainability – economic, environmental, social, GHG, circularity.

3. Novel crop varieties & next-gen systems identified and tested.

4. Acceleration of CEA uptake through best-practice expansion.

4. Scope in a Nutshell

* Map state-of-the-art CEA technologies and optimise resource-efficiency (energy, water).

* Perform socio-economic viability analysis at multiple scales vs. conventional farming.

* Conduct full life-cycle environmental footprint (PEF/OEF compliant).

* Breeding & variety testing for CEA conditions.

* Explore future trajectories (AI, IoT, robotics, biotech).

* Engage SMEs, provide FSTP, capitalise on past EU projects.

5. Lump-Sum Specifics

* Budget is agreed ex-ante per Work Package; no cost reporting.

* Payments linked to milestone/Deliverable completion.

* Requires credible, granular lump-sum budget table in Part C.

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📊 Evaluation Criteria

Expert Evaluation Criteria Explained

1. Excellence (Weight 1)

* Clarity & pertinence of objectives.

* Soundness of methodology incl. SSH & gender.

* Interdisciplinary depth (agronomy + AI + economics).

* Ambition / progress beyond state-of-the-art.

2. Impact (Weight 1)

* Credible pathways to the four expected outcomes.

* KPIs & quantified targets (e.g., 30 % energy reduction).

* Measurable contribution to EU policies (CAP, Green Deal).

* Dissemination, exploitation, communication plan quality.

* Suitability of FSTP scheme for SME uptake.

3. Quality & Efficiency of the Implementation (Weight 1)

* Coherence & effectiveness of work plan, WPs, milestones.

* Consortium composition – expertise, complementarity, resources.

* Lump-sum budget credibility & risk management.

* Governance, data management, open science provisions.

Thresholds & Scores

* Each criterion scored 0-5.

* Minimum 3 / 5 per criterion and 10 / 15 overall to be ranked.

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📝 Application Strategy

Strategic Application Guide

1. Build a High-Impact Consortium

* Triple-Helix team: research institutes, technology providers, CEA operators, breeders, social scientists, policy experts.

* Minimum one SME per key technology area to satisfy ‘SME involvement is essential’.

* Include partners from at least three different your country (HE eligibility).

2. Structure the Work Packages (WP)

1. WP1 – Systems Mapping & Gap Analysis (M1-M12)

2. WP2 – Tech Optimisation & Digital Twins (TRL 3-5)

3. WP3 – Socio-Economic & Business Modelling (incl. circularity KPIs)

4. WP4 – Environmental Footprint (PEF/OEF)

5. WP5 – Novel Crop Breeding & Phenotyping

6. WP6 – Demonstration Pilots & FSTP Calls

7. WP7 – Policy, Ethics & SSH Integration

8. WP8 – Dissemination, Exploitation & Communication

9. WP9 – Project Management & Lump-Sum Monitoring

3. Integrate the Multi-Actor Approach

* Co-create KPIs with farmers, investors, local authorities, consumer NGOs.

* Run living labs in urban/rural your country hubs; feed data into policy briefs.

4. Excellence Tips

* Articulate the research hypothesis: _“Integrating AI-driven climate control with low-carbon energy sources reduces CEA GHG by ≥ 40 %.”_

* Reference at least 5 past EU projects (e.g., GROOF, GreenAqua). Show advancement.

5. Impact Maximisation

* Quantify: hectares saved, tonnes CO₂-eq mitigated, jobs created.

* Outline scaling roadmap to TRL7+ post-project via EIT Food, EIC Accelerator.

6. Implementation & Lump-Sum Budgeting

* Use modular WPs worth €3-6 million each.

* Clearly map deliverables to payment tranches.

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💡 Success Factors

Integrated Tech-Economic-Environmental Modelling

Triangulating **digital twins**, **life-cycle costing** and **PEF-compliant LCA** provides robust evidence that resonates with all three evaluation criteria.

Robust FSTP Cascade

Designing a transparent call that funds **10-15 SMEs** for pilot validation demonstrates concrete pathways for market uptake.

Living Lab Demonstrators in Diverse Climates

Pilots in arid, temperate and northern your country regions showcase scalability and strengthen the holistic narrative.

Policy Co-Creation Workshops

Early engagement with CAP managing authorities ensures that project outputs feed directly into **national strategic plans**.

Gender & SSH Mainstreaming

Embedding social scientists to analyse **labour attractiveness** and gender dynamics in CEA boosts Excellence scores.

Clear Post-Project Commercial Roadmap

Linking to **EIC Transition/EIC Accelerator** and private investors illustrates sustainability beyond EU funding.

❌ Common Mistakes to Avoid

Ignoring Lump-Sum Mechanics

Proposals that recycle traditional cost-reporting templates fail to show deliverable-based **payment logic**, triggering evaluators’ doubts on financial credibility.

Token SME Involvement

Listing an SME as minor partner without **clear roles or FSTP benefit** contradicts the topic’s ‘SMEs are essential’ wording and lowers Impact scores.

Over-focusing on One CEA Type

Addressing only vertical farming while neglecting greenhouses, aquaponics, etc. weakens the required **holistic understanding of CEA**.

Missing Environmental Footprint Compliance

Not aligning LCA methodology with **Commission Recommendation (EU) 2021/2279** (PEF/OEF) is scored as methodological weakness.

Underestimating Energy Demand

Claims of ‘carbon-neutral’ CEA without quantified **energy-mix scenarios** appear unrealistic and damage proposal credibility.

Vague Policy Exploitation Plan

Failing to map results to **CAP strategic plans or Green Deal targets** lowers expected policy impact.

Exploring the potential of controlled environment agriculture (CEA)

Quick Facts for Spain Applicants

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