Deadline: 06-Oct-21
The European Commission has announced the applications for the Preparatory Action for the Horizon Europe Food System Partnership.
Scope
This project should:
- Convene R&I funders to help shape a more impactful and ambitious European Food Systems Research Area.
- Maximise alignment, leverage focus, and impact by exploring and building on common R&I policy priorities with and between R&I public funders in Member States.
- Support the relevant SCAR Strategic and Collaborative Working Groups, in particular the SCAR Food Systems Working Group and relevant Joint Programming Initiatives, to map potential co-funders on regional and national level and play a leading role as a convenor of stakeholders in framing the partnership.
- Liaise with other relevant Horizon Europe partnerships to avoid overlap and benefit from collaboration, taking advantage of SCAR.
- Support the development of a partnership approach and a strategic research and innovation agenda based on operational objectives that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound (SMART).
- Foresee a mechanism to engage in a responsive and flexible way with EU and national farm to fork policy makers, relevant EU Agencies, industry, academia, civil society organisations, philanthropic organisations, education establishments, and finance sectors to leverage investments and support the deployment of good practices and responsible research and innovation-driven business opportunities, as well as outcomes for the public good.
- Liaise with international organisations and initiatives (e.g. FAO, WFP, WHO, OECD, WEF, Project Drawdown, etc.) and private funders (EIT FOOD KIC and relevant European Technology Platforms and foundations), urban and regional food systems strategies (including actions relevant to smart specialization).
- Foster programmes that should encourage the greater take up of digitalisation and social sciences and humanities, to improve social legitimacy and focus more on consumer and citizens needs and aspirations, and foster behavioural changes at all levels.
- Assess existing and foster improved food systems education and training programmes across member states, in cooperation with Higher Education Institutes (HEI) and professional/vocational training centres to fill skills and knowledge gaps.
- Explain and map how co-benefits should be achieved relevant to the four Food 2030 priorities: nutrition for sustainable healthy diets, climate and environment, circularity and resource efficiency, innovation and empowerment of communities.
- Establish a branded network of European universities, where rectors develop and adhere to code of practice and action plan that motivates the organisation, staff and students to foster Food 2030 inspired food system transition for co-benefits relevant to their internal corporate practices, local/regional communities, link to similar international networks for example in the EU-AU Partnership on food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture.
Funding Information
Grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000 except for:
- public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
- cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (lowvalue grant).
Expected Outcomes
- In line with the objectives of the European Green Deal priorities and the farm to fork strategy for a fair healthy and environmentally friendly food system, the successful proposal will support the establishment of innovative governance models, to establish the EU Horizon Europe Partnership entitled “Safe and sustainable food systems for people planet and climate, to underpin the needed transition to sustainable food systems, provide solutions to the farm to fork strategy by connecting national, regional and European research and innovation programmes and food systems actors, to deliver co-benefits for nutrition and health, climate and biodiversity, circularity and communities.
- The results of the project will support European Green Deal priorities and the farm to fork strategy for a fair healthy and environmentally friendly food system, and for tackling the EU’s Climate ambition for 2030 and 2050.
- It is a Horizon Europe food systems governance topic that is dedicated to the alignment of European R&I policy priorities, programmes, agendas, and the leveraging of R&I investments to transform food systems for co-benefits.
- It will seed the creation of a more structured Food Systems European Research Area as a preparatory action towards the build-up of the EU Horizon Europe Partnership entitled “Safe and sustainable food systems for people planet and climate”, expected to be launched in 2023, that will mobilise public authorities designing and implementing more coherent and ambitious EU R&I policy.
Eligibility Criteria
- Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
- A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
- To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions;
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States;
- eligible non-EU countries:
- countries associated to Horizon Europe
- low- and middle-income countries
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