💰 Funding Details

Funding Description for HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-17

1. What the Grant Funds

* Research & Innovation Actions (RIA) that develop, pilot or scale up locally produced Ready-to-Use Supplementary Foods (RUSF) and Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) – or science-based alternatives – fully compliant with Codex CXG 95-2022 and WHO pre-qualification criteria.

* Ingredient & Process Innovation exploiting locally available plant, marine or other resources rich in protein, essential fatty acids and micronutrients.

* Climate-smart agri-food value chains that cut transport emissions, improve circularity and protect biodiversity.

* Certification pathways leading to WHO endorsement and national regulatory uptake.

* Social & business innovation spaces (e.g. incubators, living labs, hackathons) that mentor African/EU start-ups, SMEs, women-led enterprises and diaspora innovators.

* Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) – micro-grants (≤ €60 000 each; max 20 % of EU contribution) to laboratories, health institutes, start-ups or community organisations for testing, data generation or last-mile deployment.

2. Available Budget & Funding Rate

* Indicative EU contribution per project: up to €50 million (lump-sum model).

* Funding rate: 100 % of eligible lump-sum amount for all beneficiaries (Horizon Europe RIA rules).

* Number of projects funded: 1–2 (expected, subject to quality and budget availability).

3. Lump-Sum Specifics

* Proposal must present a detailed work-package budget; if selected, the agreed lump sum becomes the payment reference – no cost reporting afterwards.

* Payments are linked to milestone & deliverable completion; internal cash-flow rules must be established within the consortium.

4. Eligibility Snapshot

* Consortium minimum:

* 3 independent entities from 3 different EU Member States/Associated Countries AND

* ≥ 3 independent legal entities established in African Union (AU) member states, of which at least two are located in the same AU region.

* Multi-actor approach mandatory: farmers, processors, health professionals, NGOs, consumer groups, national authorities, SSH experts, etc.

* International organisations with HQ in an EU/Associated Country are eligible.

* Entities in any AU country (even if currently suspended) are eligible for EU funding.

* Ethics & security screening applies to nutrition-related clinical/field trials.

5. Timeline

| Key Step | Date |

|---|---|

| Call opens | 06 May 2025 |

| Info-day & matchmaking | May-Jun 2025 |

| Deadline (single stage) | 16 Sep 2025 – 17:00 CET |

| Evaluation results | ~ Feb 2026 |

| Grant Agreement signature | ~ Jun 2026 |

| Project start (indicative) | Q3 2026 |

| Maximum project duration | 48–60 months |

6. Award Criteria Weighting

1. Excellence (1/3): scientific quality, suitability of proposed ingredients/technologies, inter-disciplinary depth.

2. Impact (1/3): alignment with Food 2030, FNSSA Roadmap, HDP nexus, quantified nutrition & climate benefits, scalability, policy uptake.

3. Quality & Efficiency of Implementation (1/3): lump-sum logic, risk management, gender & diversity plan, robust FSTP scheme.

7. Key Policy Alignment Requirements

* Food 2030 Pathways (nutrition, climate, circularity, innovation).

* AU-EU FNSSA Partnership & CEA-First networking.

* Codex Alimentarius & WHO pre-qualification.

* One-Health, biodiversity restoration, climate adaptation/mitigation.

8. Complementary Opportunities

* Synergies with EU Missions “A Soil Deal for Europe” & “Restore our Ocean and Waters”.

* Potential top-up/bridge finance from EIT Food, DeSIRA, national ODA funds, regional development banks.

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📊 Evaluation Criteria

Key Award Criteria (Annex D, Horizon Europe)

1. Excellence (0-5)

• Fit with scope, clarity of objectives.

• Credibility of interdisciplinary methodology (nutrition science, food tech, SSH, climate LCA, participatory design).

2. Impact (0-5)

• Credible pathways to all expected outcomes (local production scale-up, regulatory uptake, climate/biodiversity gains).

• Robust exploitation, business acceleration, and policy uptake plans in your country and AU markets.

3. Quality & Efficiency of Implementation (0-5)

• Multi-actor governance, Africa-led leadership roles, risk mitigation in fragile contexts.

• Realistic lump-sum work-plan and FSTP management.

📝 Application Strategy

Application Strategy for a Competitive Proposal

1. Build a Winning Consortium

* Core triangle:

* EU research leader with Horizon coordination experience.

* African nutrition/health institute (clinical validation, WHO liaison).

* Local food processor/SME capable of pilot production.

* Mandatory AU representation: ensure ≥ 3 AU partners, ≥ 2 in the same AU region (e.g. East Africa).

* Add seed companies, farmer co-ops, gender-focused NGOs, social scientists, climate analysts, logistics partners.

* Secure letters of commitment from national regulatory authorities for Codex alignment and fast-track adoption.

2. Shape an Impact-Centric Concept

1. Problem statement: rising SAM/MAM caseloads, import dependency, carbon footprint.

2. Solution package: locally sourced ingredient baskets + novel processing + certification roadmap.

3. Impact KPIs:

* ≥ 40 % local ingredient substitution vs baseline.

* ≥ 30 % GHG reduction per kg product.

* WHO pre-qualification achieved by Y4.

* 3 000 t/yr commercial production capacity by project end.

4. Gender & youth empowerment: at least 50 % of FSTP funds channelled to women/youth-led entities.

3. Design Robust Work Packages (WPs)

* WP1 – Management & Lump-Sum Governance (incl. risk, ethics, data, IP).

* WP2 – Ingredient Sourcing & Agro-biodiversity (field trials, climate-smart varieties).

* WP3 – Product Formulation & Safety (lab/bench-scale → pilot).

* WP4 – Clinical & Acceptability Trials (aligned with WHO protocols; SSH input for cultural acceptance).

* WP5 – Life-Cycle Assessment & Climate Metrics (circularity, water, biodiversity).

* WP6 – Business Models & Market Uptake (mentoring hub, social innovation, diaspora links; allocate FSTP).

* WP7 – Policy, Regulation & Codex/WHO Certification Pathway.

* WP8 – Communication, Exploitation & HDP Nexus Integration (link to CEA-First, FNSSA projects).

4. Integrate Cross-Cutting Requirements

* SSH disciplines in consumer behaviour, gender studies, conflict sensitivity.

* Open Science & FAIR data: pre-register trials, open access publications.

* Ethics & dual-use: nutritional trials, child protection, export controls for peanut-based formulations.

* Climate & biodiversity co-benefits: explicit adaptation/mitigation narrative.

5. Craft a Lump-Sum-Friendly Budget

* Divide lump sum by WP + partner; link each tranche to clear milestones/deliverables.

* Reserve ≤ 20 % of EU budget for FSTP; describe transparent, gender-balanced selection process and oversight committee.

* Provide internal cash-flow plan ensuring SMEs/NGOs are paid promptly after milestone acceptance.

6. Write for the Evaluators

Excellence

* Demonstrate state-of-the-art gap (import dependency, cost surge, unsustainable peanut reliance).

* Highlight novel ingredients/processing (e.g. bambara groundnut, moringa, fish powder, algae oils, solar drying, extrusion).

Impact

* Use logic model mapping outputs → outcomes → wider impacts.

* Quantify nutrition, climate, socio-economic returns; align with SDGs 2, 3, 12, 13.

* Show policy leverage through existing AU nutrition platforms & WHO pre-qualification roadmap.

Implementation

* Present clear GANTT & PERT charts; milestone-driven payment schedule.

* Risk register with mitigation & contingency (e.g. political instability, ingredient scarcity).

* Management structure: General Assembly, Executive Board, Advisory Panel (includes Nutrition Technical Advisory Board, Codex experts, donor reps).

7. Submission Checklist

- [ ] Consortium meets AU & EU minima.

- [ ] Multi-actor approach evidenced (table of roles).

- [ ] FSTP scheme detailed (rules, calls, evaluation).

- [ ] Lump-sum tables completed in Part B & online forms.

- [ ] Ethics self-assessment & clinical trial registration numbers.

- [ ] Gender Equality Plans uploaded for all public bodies (> 250 staff).

- [ ] Data Management Plan (summary) provided.

8. Post-Award Tips

* Kick-off within 3 months; establish milestone verification templates.

* Initiate WHO pre-qualification dossier early (minimum 18-month process).

* Activate synergies with EIT Food accelerators & DeSIRA projects for scale-up finance.

* Plan exploitation & spin-offs: licensing deals, local PPPs, social franchises.

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By following this roadmap, applicants can align tightly with the call’s technical, geographical and policy imperatives, maximise evaluators’ scores across all three criteria, and de-risk implementation under the lump-sum model.

Nutrition in emergency situations - Ready-to-use Supplementary Food (RUSF) and Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food (RUTF)

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