# Open topic: Boosting organic farming for a competitive, sustainable and resilient farming sector
EUACC page: https://www.euacc.ai/calls/HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-02-two-stage
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## Public content

**topic id:** HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-02-two-stage
**call id:** HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-two-stage
**title:** Open topic: Boosting organic farming for a competitive, sustainable and resilient farming sector
**programme:** Horizon Europe
**cluster:** CL6
**status:** closed
**deadline date:** 2026-09-15T00:00:00+00:00
**deadline model:** two-stage
**start date:** 2026-02-12T00:00:00+00:00
**url:** https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-02-two-stage
**description:** Expected Outcome:
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
• farmers, advisors, agri-food chain operators, policy-makers, public funders and citizens benefit from new knowledge and knowledge exchange, viable innovations, practices and tools that boost the competitiveness, sustainability (economic, environmental, social) and resilience of the organic farming sector;
• knowledge and innovations contribute to an improved sustainability of organic farming systems and an overall improved efficiency of the sector, leading to an increased attractiveness of organic farming in Europe and an improved understanding of its contribution to sustainability (economic, social, biodiversity, climate);
• the EU regulatory framework for organic farming, the Common Agricultural Policy, and the EU’s biodiversity, zero pollution and climate policies are supported by science-based evidence, methodologies and standardized monitoring frameworks. 
 Scope:
The Vision for Agriculture and Food[1] recognises organic farming as an approach with potential to ensure an attractive and predictable agri-food sector where incomes enable farmers to thrive, while at the same time delivering several ecosystem services beneficial for the environment, climate and biodiversity. The Vision also recognises the importance of research and innovation (R&I) for sustainable farming approaches, such as organic farming, to thrive. At the same time, the EU Action Plan on the Development of Organic Production[2] attaches a central role to R&I for achieving the Plan’s objectives. In line with this Action Plan, under Horizon Europe, the EU has funded several R&I projects addressing multiple aspects and challenges of organic production. The purpose of this topic is to fill remaining R&I needs to boost the organic farming sector in Europe.
Proposals should increase knowledge and develop safe, viable and cost-effective innovations to tackle agronomic, sustainability (social, biodiversity, climate, economic), value chain development and/or market-related challenges of organic production. Proposals should develop innovations addressing land-based organic production in a range of pedo-climatic conditions in the EU and Associated Countries. They should demonstrate the contribution of these innovations to facilitating the uptake and implementation of organic production methods by relevant stakeholders, among which farmers. This should include activities to increase networking and knowledge and best practice exchange among farmers (both among organic farmers and with farmers implementing other approaches) and with other relevant actors.
Proposals should establish sites in diverse pedo-climatic conditions to co-create, test, validate and upscale the innovations, and set-up a network connecting these sites.
Both crop and livestock production systems under organic production are in scope of this topic. Proposals should convincingly explain how they will fill existing R&I needs in line with the EU Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production[3] and the Vision for Agriculture and Food[4]. The projects under this topic are also relevant to the EU policies related to the objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy, as well as the EU’s biodiversity, zero pollution and climate policies.
If proposals relate to some of the activities covered by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (including the CORE Organic ERA-Net), to the Horizon Europe Cluster 6 Work Programmes 2021-2022, 2023-2024 or 2025, to projects funded under the EU Mission Soil[5], and/or to projects funded under the Horizon Europe Partnerships ‘Agroecology’[6], Animal Health and Welfare[7] or FutureFoods[8], they should convincingly explain how they will build on and not duplicate them.
Proposals should include a dedicated task, appropriate resources and a plan on how they will collaborate with other projects funded under this topic, as well as with other relevant ongoing EU-funded organic farming relevant projects, and with projects funded by the Horizon Europe Partnership ‘Agroecology’ or other Horizon Europe Partnerships. Activities falling under the scope of the topics ‘HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-09: Enhancing the competitiveness of organic crop breeding: focus on intercropping adapted varieties’ and ‘HORIZON-CL6-2027-02-FARM2FORK-04: Improving understanding of the contribution of the organic farming sector to sustainability’ in this Work Programme are out of the scope of this topic.
Proposals must implement the multi-actor approach and ensure adequate involvement of farmers and other relevant stakeholders involved in the organic farming agri-food value chain, taking into account a gender-sensitive and inclusive approach. The type and nature of stakeholders involved besides farmers should be determined in function of the specific challenge/area addressed. Sectors with high economic relevance in different pedo-climatic conditions and various biogeographical regions across Europe should be targeted in a representative way.
Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties in order to support value chain actors in co-creating, testing, validating and/or upscaling the developed innovations. Proposals should promote close cooperation among relevant research and innovation actors across the EU and Associated Countries, ultimately leading to a more efficient organic production R&I ecosystem by linking up to existing related EU-wide initiatives, in particular the Horizon Europe Partnership ‘Agroecology’.
This topic should involve the effective contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines.
Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects
Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-8 by the end of the project – see General Annex B. Activities may start at any TRL.

[1] https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/overview-vision-agriculture-food/vision-agriculture-and-food_en
[2] https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/farming/organic-farming/organic-action-plan_en
[3] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52021DC0141R%2801%29
[4] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52025DC0075
[5] https://mission-soil-platform.ec.europa.eu/
[6] https://www.agroecologypartnership.eu/funded-projects
[7] https://www.eupahw.eu/
[8] https://www.futurefoodspartnership.eu/
**conditions:** General conditions
1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout
Applicants submitting a proposal for a blind evaluation (see General Annex F) must not disclose their organisation names, acronyms, logos nor names of personnel in the proposal abstract and Part B of their first-stage application (see General Annex E).

described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

2. Eligible Countries
described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

3. Other Eligible Conditions
The following additional eligibility criteria apply: the proposals must apply the multi-actor approach. See definition of the multi-actor approach in this work programme part.

described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion
described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds
The first-stage proposals of this topic will be evaluated blindly.

are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes
are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement
described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants
Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025) [[This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal, in the reference documents section for Horizon Europe, under ‘Simplified costs decisions’ or through this link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ls-decision_he_en.pdf]].

Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties (FSTP). The support to third parties can only be provided in the form of grants. The maximum amount to be granted to each third party is EUR 60 000.

described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific conditions
 described in the [specific topic of the Work Programme]

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):
 Application form templates — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE RIA IA Stage 1 BLIND)
Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations 
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA and CSA Stage 1 BLIND)
Guidance
HE Programme Guide 
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
Lump Sum MGA 
Call-specific instructions 
Detailed budget table (HE LS) 
Information on financial support to third parties (HE) 
Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?"

Additional documents:
 HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 9. Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and 
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes
HE Programme Guide
HE Framework Programme 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement 
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual 
Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions 
Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement
**action type:** HORIZON Innovation Actions
**budget:** 
  **budget Years Columns:** 
    - 2026
  **budget Topic Action Map:** 
    **113313:** 
      -         **action:** HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-01-two-stage - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions
        **budget Year Map:** 
          **2026:** 13500000
        **deadline Dates:** 
          - 2026-04-14
          - 2026-09-15
        **deadline Model:** two-stage
        **expected Grants:** 3
        **max Contribution:** 4500000
        **min Contribution:** 4500000
        **planned Opening Date:** 2026-02-12
    **113314:** 
      -         **action:** HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-02-two-stage - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions
        **budget Year Map:** 
          **2026:** 12000000
        **deadline Dates:** 
          - 2026-04-14
          - 2026-09-15
        **deadline Model:** two-stage
        **expected Grants:** 2
        **max Contribution:** 6000000
        **min Contribution:** 6000000
        **planned Opening Date:** 2026-02-12
**keywords:** HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-02-two-stage, HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-two-stage, Crop and livestock production, Innovation systems, Organic farming, Participatory Innovation, Social innovation
**last synced at:** 2026-11-09T17:23:17.403+00:00

## Review record

No independent verification record is available.

## Source metadata