Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
This Cluster is ambitious and aspirational in what it seeks to accomplish in addressing the many challenges that face the world. These include tackling the causes and impacts of climate change, environmental and biodiversity decline, protection of natural resources and the resilience of the food production systems.
Introduction to Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
The content of the Cluster covers all three pillars of sustainable development, economic, environmental and social elements, and addresses many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It includes actions across seven themes that will provide funding opportunities to put human activities on track towards sustainability.
A key objective is to get biodiversity on a path to recovery and to ensure that biodiversity and ecosystem services are properly valued, respected and restored. These apply across all habitats on land and in water, to help create the foundations for a sustainable future.
Food systems on land and water from farm to fork, covers food production all the way through the supply chain to consumption. This considers health impacts from diets and the social considerations around consumer behaviour and how that can be used to promote healthy choices.
The need to maximise the reach of the bioeconomy sectors and the circular economy is essential. This will help us to reduce our environmental impact and improve our resource use and efficiency. This is a fundamental part of the EU (European Union) Green Deal approach to sustainable economic growth.
Having a clean environment and zero pollution is a key component of this cluster. Promoting the reversal and remediation of contaminated sites and reducing nutrient and pollutant losses to land and water will improve environmental quality and improve resource efficiencies.
Climate action is relevant across land, water and oceans. These actions will help to address the climate change challenges that affect us all. It will promote behaviour change and management practices to assist in the transition to a low carbon economy. There are links to the actions found in Cluster 5 Climate, Energy and Mobility.
Our communities, whether urban, rural or coastal are key to the adoption and effectiveness of any intervention. Engagement and real collaborative working are essential to create more resilient communities to react to the challenges and transitions ahead.
This cluster is underpinned by actions to support robust evidence and is supported by the use of environmental observations and digital technologies, information gathering and networking and knowledge transfer. The use of evidence-based decision making, through to policy and governance is necessary to embed the R&I into actions to bring about transformative action across the food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment sectors.
Funding areas
Areas funded include:
- environmental observation
- biodiversity and natural resources
- agriculture, forestry and rural areas
- seas, oceans and inland waters
- food systems
- bio-based innovation systems in the EU’s bioeconomy
- circular systems
Funding calls
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This destination intends to achieve the following expected impact from Cluster 6 ‘Biodiversity is back on a path to recovery, and ecosystems and their services are preserved and sustainably restored on land, inland water and at sea through improved knowledge and innovation’. All actions funded under this destination must therefore help to deliver this main impact goal.
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This destination covers sustainability across the whole food system from primary production all the way through to consumption.
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This destination seeks to maximise the impact and the reach of the bioeconomy and the integration of the circular economy into all sectors.
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This destination seeks to halt and prevent pollution to support actions on climate change, regenerate biodiversity, ensure the sustainability of primary production activities and safeguard the well-being of humankind.
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This destination will assist in addressing the challenges of climate change and transition to a low carbon economy.
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This destination deals with the communities in rural, coastal and urban areas and how their resilience can be improved to a range of challenges.
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This destination covers a range of activities that underpins activities including the implementation of policy governance, use of environmental observation and data.
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Introduction to EU Missions
EU Missions are a new way to bring concrete solutions to some of our greatest challenges. EU Missions are a coordinated effort by the Commission to pool the necessary resources in terms of funding programmes, policies and regulations, as well as other activities.
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Introduction to EU Partnerships
EU Partnerships are initiatives where the EU, national authorities and/or the private sector jointly commit to support the development and implementation of a programme of research and innovation activities.
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Recording and Slides now available from Horizon Europe Cluster 6: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Webinar
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Related News
21/07/2022
What's next for R&D if the UK is unable to associate to Horizon Europe?
The UK government has confirmed successful Horizon Europe applicants will receive funding from UKRI regardless of the outcome of the UK’s efforts to associate with Horizon Europe.
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09/08/2021
AgriFood funding opportunities as part of Horizon Europe
The new Horizon Europe funding calls are open to UK-based projects and include opportunities for AgriFood innovation.
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Save the date: Horizon Europe Cluster 6 Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Info Days and Brokerage Event
The 2023 calls on Cluster 6 ‘Food, bio-economy, natural resources, agriculture and environment’ are expected to open before the end of the year. Potential applicants are invited to attend an Info Day on 13th-14th December to learn about the topics and how to prepare a quality project proposal. You will also be able to meet potential partners in a Brokerage event on 19th December. More details to follow soon.
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