EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities under HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-15

1. Strategic Fit with Core EU Policies

• Directly implements the Green Deal’s “Farm-to-Fork” strategy, Biodiversity Strategy and Zero-Pollution targets, positioning beneficiaries as first-movers on forthcoming legislative requirements.

• Contributes to the EU’s 2040 Climate Target and the Sustainable Food Systems Framework (expected 2025), ensuring long-term policy relevance and political visibility.

• Alignment with the One-Health approach strengthens links with the EU Health Union and antimicrobial-resistance agenda.

2. Single Market Access (450 + million consumers)

• Harmonised EU food-labelling, novel-food and organic regulations enable rapid EU-wide roll-out of innovative products/services emerging from co-funded projects.

• Stronger bargaining position for SMEs and primary producers through cross-border value-chain alliances, facilitating market entry in up to 30 countries via a single set of rules.

3. Cross-Border Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange

• Annual co-funded calls (FSTP up to €10 m per third party) create a predictable pipeline of trans-national R&I projects, encouraging joint piloting in multiple agro-climatic zones.

• Mandatory inclusion of additional partners from Member States/Associated Countries widens the partnership’s geographic footprint, tapping into new competence centres in widening & Baltic/Balkan regions.

• Synergy clauses foster cooperation with Cluster 6 partnerships (Agroecology, Animal Health & Welfare, Blue Economy) and Missions (Soil, Ocean), avoiding duplication and maximising spill-overs.

4. Regulatory Harmonisation Advantages

• Single EU food-safety and traceability framework (e.g. digital product passport, Control Regulation in fisheries) reduces certification costs and accelerates mutual recognition of sustainability standards.

• Coordinated approach to data governance via the forthcoming Agriculture Data Space simplifies cross-border data sharing and compliance with GDPR.

5. Access to the Pan-European Innovation Ecosystem

• Interface with EIT Food, European Innovation Hubs and Regional Innovation Valleys unlocks pilot sites, living labs and test beds across the continent.

• Partnership branding eases entry into EU research infrastructures (ELIXIR, Copernicus DIAS, ESFRI agri-food facilities) offering top-tier analytical and Earth-observation capabilities.

• Proximity to leading universities and RTOs accelerates talent attraction and mobility programmes (MSCA, Erasmus+).

6. Funding & Investment Synergies

• 30 % Horizon co-funding leverages 70 % national/regional cash, tripling available resources and ensuring long-term commitment from ministries & funding agencies.

• Perfect “umbrella” for stacking with CAP Strategic Plans, Interreg, LIFE, Digital Europe and InvestEU Agri-Food windows, de-risking large-scale demonstrators.

• FSTP mechanism gives the consortium venture-builder capacity, enabling rapid support to start-ups and SMEs without further EU-level evaluation.

7. Scale, Replicability & Systemic Impact

• Seven-to-ten-year SRIA and annual joint calls provide continuity, allowing multi-cycle TRL maturation from lab to market and subsequent deployment in multiple regions.

• EU-wide datasets and common indicators facilitate benchmarking and policy uptake, making it easier for the Commission to mainstream successful solutions via future regulations.

8. Inclusion & Cohesion Benefits

• Obligation to recruit new partners from under-represented countries supports the widening agenda, reduces R&I divide and stimulates local bioeconomy clusters.

• Cross-regional pilots create rural employment, reinforce resilience of remote coastal/island areas and outermost regions.

9. International Leverage

• EU branding bolsters global standard-setting power, helping European companies capture growing demand for sustainable food in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

• Alignment with the AU-EU FNSSA Partnership opens doors to joint calls with African funders, enhancing Europe’s strategic autonomy on protein, fertilisers and feed.

10. Operational Advantages of the COFUND Model

• Amendment to existing grant avoids disruption, cuts six-to-nine months of administrative lead time versus new calls.

• Retroactive eligibility of costs from submission date helps maintain momentum of running pilots and staff contracts.

Actionable Tips for Maximising EU-Level Value

1. Map national R&I priorities against the SRIA to attract co-funding authorities early (letter of commitment before GA amendment).

2. Design joint calls around "multi-site living labs" (minimum three countries) to guarantee trans-boundary impact and eligibility for Interreg spin-off funding.

3. Embed open science & FAIR data clauses aligned with the Agriculture Data Space, positioning outputs for fast regulatory acceptance.

4. Use FSTP to create an accelerator scheme with EIT Food and EIC to shepherd high-TRL outcomes toward commercialisation and scale-up finance (InvestEU, EIB).

5. Establish a Policy Uptake Task Force with DG AGRI, DG SANTE and DG ENV to translate results into forthcoming Sustainable Food Systems Regulation delegated acts.

Bottom Line: Operating at EU scale transforms isolated national initiatives into a coherent, policy-aligned portfolio capable of shifting Europe’s entire food system toward sustainability, while delivering unmatched market access, funding leverage and regulatory influence that no single country could achieve alone.