Call for applications to support agrifood and digital SMEs in developing and validating Agriculture 5.0 solutions

Call for applications to support agrifood and digital SMEs in developing and validating Agriculture 5.0 solutions is sponsored by EU Funding Portal (EU-funded initiative). This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

Agricultural grants - EU Grants Funding Call for proposals for industry-driven, technically innovative, and application-oriented projects within the field of electronic components and systems. The primary objective of this call is to extend the state-of-the-art and enable new civilian applications across diverse areas.

To be eligible for funding, project proposals must represent international cooperation through a well-balanced consortium. This consortium must include at least two independent legal entities from two different Eureka countries—though involving partners from three or more countries is highly recommended—and must cover an essential section of the complete electronic components and systems value chain.

Additionally, projects should involve approximately 35 person-years of effort and focus on researching or developing an innovative product, process, or service.

Projects can be submitted across any of the core focus areas defined by the 2026 ECS-SRIA, which are divided into three pillars: Foundational Technology Layers: Process technology, equipment, materials, manufacturing, component integration, embedded software, and systems of systems; Cross-Sectional Technologies: Edge computing, embedded AI, connectivity, architecture and design tools, quality, reliability, safety, and cybersecurity; ECS Key Application Areas: Mobility, energy, digital industry, health and wellbeing, agrifood and natural resources, and the digital society.

Call for proposals for a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) Co-Financing Instrument, which offers grants of up to EUR 60,000 to financially de-risk small-scale pilot projects between agrifood startups and industry leaders.

To be eligible, proposals must be submitted by a single micro- or small-sized company that has been legally incorporated in an EU or Horizon Europe eligible country for at least 12 months, possesses a valid PIC number, and offers a solution aligned with one of the three Food Missions. Additionally, the applicant must partner with a specific corporate client counterpart that has a minimum annual turnover of EUR 1 billion.

The funding is intended for projects lasting up to 12 months—starting from September 2026—and must focus strictly on delivering commercial validation activities such as sample creation, field trials, or functionality tests to pave a clear pathway toward long-term commercial success. Call for applications to recognize standout sustainability achievements among the 4.

5 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) powering Europe’s agri-food ecosystem. To be eligible, participating companies must qualify as an SME by employing no more than 250 people and generating either a turnover of no more than €50 million or a balance sheet total of no more than €43 million.

Finalists will gain unparalleled exposure with industry leaders and global buyers by being featured center-stage at SIAL Paris, the world’s largest food and drink exhibition. In addition to receiving a complimentary ticket and a trip to Paris, finalists will earn an official Foodies badge to boost brand recognition.

Furthermore, their sustainable initiatives will be featured directly on the European Commission’s agri-food platform to amplify their story to a broad, influential audience. Call for proposals to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) developing innovative solutions in sustainable agriculture and circular bio-economy.

Operating within Poland, Latvia, and Ukraine, this initiative aims to strengthen regional research and innovation ecosystems by leveraging a quadruple-helix model that connects academia, business, government, and society.

The open call features a total funding pool of EUR 600,000 and will select twelve SMEs to address prevailing market and technical challenges across seven distinct categories, which include soil health, water-smart farming, and circular nutrients. Selected projects will receive a lump-sum grant of up to EUR 50,000 alongside dedicated technical, business, and innovation advisory services to assist with project implementation.

To ensure a fair and transparent selection process, all applications will be reviewed by a diverse pool of regional experts before final selections are confirmed in a consensus meeting. Call for Expressions of Interest for talented and ambitious business professionals who want to serve as co-founders to help launch and scale impactful European agrifood startups.

Eligible applicants should possess proven entrepreneurial experience in fields such as business development, sales, finance, or marketing, along with a strong understanding of how startups can contribute to EIT Food Missions. Selected individuals will enter a six-week online matchmaking program where they can pair with technology innovators to co-create a comprehensive project proposal.

From there, up to 15 successfully matched teams will advance to a 12-week exploration phase, receiving expert coaching, market validation training, and a €6,000 stipend split equally between the two co-founders. At the conclusion of the program, teams will pitch their finalized business proposals to an independent panel, with the top four projects receiving launch prizes ranging from €10,000 to €40,000.

Call for expressions of interest to help agrifood technology innovators find business co-founders and secure pre-seed funding. The call is open to individuals with strong technical or scientific backgrounds who possess impactful agrifood solutions aligned with EIT Food’s Missions but need entrepreneurial support to commercialize them.

Selected innovators will first enter a six-week matchmaking phase to connect with professionals skilled in business development, fundraising, and sales, culminating in a project proposal pitch. From there, up to 15 selected teams will advance to a 12-week exploration phase, receiving a €6,000 stipend alongside expert coaching and market validation training.

At the end of the program, teams will pitch their final business proposals, with the top four projects receiving prizes ranging from €10,000 to €40,000 to officially launch their startups. This award recognizes five winning pairs of cleantech solution providers and their clients across five sectors: Agrifood & Natural Environment, Building & Construction, Industrial Processes & Consumer Goods, Mobility, and Utilities.

Open to global applicants who have successfully implemented innovations, the program invites winners to present at the Pioneers Forum in November 2026 and receive extensive media exposure, press features, and enhanced industry credibility. The awards celebrate replicable use cases that improve sustainability and efficiency across industrial processes, infrastructure, and resource management.

Call for applications to receive agricultural awards, which celebrate women worldwide who are transforming the future of agriculture through passion, expertise, and innovation. The international call is open to female professionals across various sectors, including farming, agribusiness, education, agricultural machinery, research, journalism, and digital media.

Nominees will be recognized across four core categories: Farming, Agribusiness, Education, and Technology & Research. The winners will be honored at the EuroTier trade fair in Hanover, Germany, highlighting the vital role of women in the global agricultural community. Call for proposals inviting farmers to offer their land as experimentation sites for testing Regenerative and Conservation Agriculture Practices (ReCAP).

With a total budget of EUR 735,000, this initiative aims to improve soil health and landscape resilience by fostering a European network of “Living Labs” where practical, innovative farming solutions can be validated in real-world conditions.

Applications are open to farmers who are legally entitled to manage land in specific participating countries, including Spain, Portugal, Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland, Moldova, Romania, or Ukraine.

To qualify, a farm must: Dedicate at least one hectare of land to the implementation of agreed ReCAP practices; Operate within the geographic scope of one of the five thematic Living Labs, which range from permanent cropping in Mediterranean climates to crop-livestock integration in Slovenia and black soil conservation in Eastern Europe; Demonstrate technical feasibility and a strong commitment to data collection and knowledge exchange.

Successful applicants can receive a lump sum of €5,000 per season for up to three cropping seasons, totaling a maximum of €15,000. Farmers designated as “lighthouse sites”—those chosen to demonstrate exemplary practices to peers—are eligible for an additional €5,000 in support. These funds are intended to cover the costs of implementing new practices, participating in collective workshops, and collaborating on monitoring activities.

Call for proposals aimed at scaling an existing 3D digital learning platform focused on regenerative agriculture. This initiative seeks legally established entities with expertise in immersive technologies, digital learning, and the agrifood sector to enhance the Future Farm Lab ecosystem. The project is scheduled to run from July 2026 through December 2028, with a total available funding pool of EUR 370,000.

The selected participants will be responsible for the technical and pedagogical expansion of the platform, specifically focusing on: Content Development: Creating high-quality modules on topics such as soil health, biodiversity, and water resilience; Immersive Learning: Designing systems-based simulations and “micromissions” to provide experiential training; Integration: Embedding the platform into vocational, higher education, and professional upskilling programs across the food industry; Technical Upgrades: Improving SaaS infrastructure, user onboarding processes, and analytics-driven optimization.

Throughout the 36-month duration, grant recipients must provide a series of structured outputs, including a Communication and Outreach Plan by Month 3 and the initial release of enhanced 3D modules by Month 12. The project concludes with a final impact report in late 2028, documenting the achievement of key performance indicators and the successful validation of Proof-of-Concept pilot implementations.

Call for applications aimed at small- and medium-sized farms to test and replicate cost-effective digital technologies. This initiative seeks to bridge the technological gap between smaller agricultural operations and large-scale food producers by providing human-centric software and hardware solutions.

With a total funding pool of EUR 90,000, individual farms can receive awards of up to EUR 10,000 to support the adoption of smart technologies that promote agroecological models such as regenerative agriculture, natural grazing, and pollinator conservation. Selected beneficiaries will enter a three-month funding programme focused on the real-world application of digital tools.

The grant is designed to lower the barrier to entry for high-tech farming, allowing smaller entities to explore innovative methodologies without the standard financial risks. Call for applications to support innovative and practical approaches to Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) within global agricultural supply chains.

This initiative aims to help companies navigate a shifting regulatory landscape—including the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) and the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD)—by transforming due diligence from a compliance task into a driver of long-term competitiveness and resilience.

The Fund provides grants of up to EUR 250,000 for projects that focus on primary production and directly address risks on the ground. Key areas of interest include deforestation-free supply chains, climate and biodiversity, gender equity, and the promotion of living incomes for smallholder farmers and plantation workers.

To ensure meaningful impact, the DDF requires that potentially affected “rightsholders” are actively involved in both the design and implementation of the project.

Projects are expected to: Apply a risk-based approach rooted in previous assessments; Demonstrate a clear potential to prevent or mitigate adverse impacts; Be designed for scalability and adaptability, allowing insights to be transferred to other supply chains; and Actively promote gender equity through targeted, measurable actions.

Call for applications to participate in a 36-month initiative designed to support innovative SMEs and startups in transitioning to climate-neutral production. With a total funding pool of EUR 1,970,000, the project aims to reduce Europe’s dependency on critical inputs by fostering the development of novel biosolutions, substitutes, and bio-based products.

To be eligible, applicants must be established in an EU or Single Market Programme country, have a solution at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4–8, and be prepared to provide 25% co-financing. The program offers a cascade of direct financial support, with individual companies eligible to receive up to €60,000 across four distinct phases.

Selected participants gain more than just financial aid; they are integrated into a robust European biosolution ecosystem that provides tailored innovation and business development services. This includes dedicated key account management, expert mentorship, and access to technology providers.

Furthermore, the program facilitates growth through networking, matchmaking, and direct engagement with investors, ensuring that SMEs are well-positioned to scale their innovations and strengthen their competitiveness in the green industry. Call for proposals to quantify the benefits of agrobiodiversity, including the role of soil microorganisms, at the farm and parcel level. With a total budget of EUR 12.

00 million, the initiative aims to fund two projects—each receiving approximately EUR 6. 00 million—to demonstrate how species abundance and composition impact yield stability, nutritional quality, and resilience to pests. This research supports the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the Nature Restoration Regulation by addressing the socio-economic barriers that prevent farmers from adopting more diversified production systems.

Selected projects are expected to bridge the gap between biodiversity conservation and agricultural profitability through several key actions: Economic Quantification: Measuring the direct contribution of agrobiodiversity to food security and farm income, specifically focusing on nutrient cycling and resilience against environmental stresses; Risk Management Tools: Developing decision-support tools that analyze the risks of diversification—such as yield fluctuations and marketability—to help farmers and breeders manage the transition to non-conventional crops and local breeds; Financial Incentives: Testing private finance instruments, such as nature credits, to reward land managers for enhancing biodiversity and creating new income streams; Value Chain Valorization: Exploring pathways for processing, storing, and marketing diverse raw materials to strengthen the position of farmers within the food supply chain.

Call for proposals to enhance and customize Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) techniques across various European agricultural landscapes. With a total funding pool of EUR 12 million, the initiative aims to provide projects with approximately EUR 6 million each to develop water storage solutions that balance supply and demand while reducing the environmental footprint of food systems.

These actions are designed to strengthen the climate resilience of EU agriculture in response to the increasing frequency and magnitude of droughts.

Selected projects will focus on expanding MAR techniques at the farm, basin, and catchment levels through several key actions: Technical Customization: Improving MAR methods to fit representative EU agricultural contexts and developing methodologies to identify the most suitable locations for implementation; Impact Monitoring: Creating user-friendly Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems to track the quality and quantity of groundwater, as well as the health of dependent ecosystems; Economic Modeling: Calculating cost-benefit ratios and proposing business models—such as water credits or payment schemes—to compensate farmers and land managers for hosting MAR initiatives; and Governance and Demonstration: Validating these models through at least two case studies in different pedoclimatic zones and providing governance frameworks tailored to local regulatory and socio-economic conditions.

Call for applications to develop sustainable and alternative animal feeds tailored for Mediterranean livestock and inland aquaculture systems. With a total budget of EUR 10. 815 million, the foundation plans to award grants of approximately EUR 2.

7 million to projects that demonstrate high technical readiness levels (TRL 6–7) and a clear path toward commercialization. Any legal entity, including those from non-associated third countries, is eligible to participate provided they meet Horizon Europe regulations. The initiative addresses the high environmental and economic costs of conventional feeds, which currently rely heavily on imported cereals and fishmeal.

By focusing on locally available biomass—such as legume crops and agri-food waste streams like bakery residues—the program aims to: Reduce Environmental Footprint: Decrease greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane, and minimize nutrient pollution; Valorize Waste: Transform organic residues into high-quality feed, thereby closing nutrient loops and reducing the loss of embedded water and energy; Enhance Animal Welfare: Ensure new formulations are nutritionally balanced, safe, and beneficial for animal health and productivity.

Ultimately, this action supports the European Green Deal and the New Circular Economy Action Plan by fostering self-sufficient Mediterranean farming systems. By developing robust business models and investment-ready solutions, the projects will help reduce the region’s dependence on global market volatility while preserving local ecosystems and improving the economic resilience of rural producers.

Call for applications from joint consortia consisting of one agrifood SME and one digital technology SME to develop and validate Agriculture 5. 0 solutions. This initiative aims to bridge the gap between high-tech innovations and practical agricultural needs, offering total funding of up to EUR 118,500 per tandem.

To be eligible, both partners must be based in EU Member States or associated territories, belong to the agrifood or ICT value chains, and demonstrate a solution with a minimum Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6. Selected consortia will enter a three-phase innovation funnel—Seed, Sprout, and Harvest—designed to advance early-stage concepts into market-ready, piloted solutions.

The program focuses on five priority thematic areas: Resource Management: Smart water use, irrigation automation, and continuous soil health monitoring; Operational Efficiency: Labor optimization through robotics, drones, and digital workflow automation; Environmental Impact: Reduction of crop protection inputs via precision treatments and AI-based risk detection; Data Strategy: Enhancing data interoperability, secure sharing frameworks, and common data spaces.

Call for proposals to support decentralized brackish water desalination systems for climate-resilient and resource-efficient Mediterranean agriculture. With a total funding pool of EUR 10. 815 million, PRIMA expects to fund projects with an award range of around EUR 3.

6 million and an expected duration of 36 months. Agriculture accounts for the vast majority of freshwater withdrawals in the Mediterranean. To address growing water scarcity, this initiative seeks to improve the cost-effectiveness and environmental sustainability of brackish water desalination.

Solutions must be co-designed with farmers and comply with the “Do No Significant Harm” (DNSH) principle under the EU Taxonomy Regulation.

Projects are expected to address at least three of the following activities: Developing and piloting decentralized, low-cost desalination systems tailored for agricultural reuse; Testing renewable-energy-powered desalination units to ensure energy efficiency and seasonal adaptability; Assessing full lifecycle impacts, including carbon footprint, soil health, and cost-benefit analyses; and Producing guidelines and toolkits to help scale these solutions across various local contexts.

Call for proposals for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to support the green and digital twin transitions within the European agri-food sector. This initiative provides financial backing for innovative projects that increase the valorisation of agri-food biomass and side-streams, directly contributing to more sustainable and resilient ecosystems.

Projects must focus on developing, adopting, and commercialising upcycled ingredients for food or non-food applications, as well as advancing related technologies and business processes. Every proposal must lead to the concrete implementation of a new process, a new product, a new service, or a combination of these elements. The Call has made a total funding pool of €2,020,000 available for this call.

Financial support is awarded as a lump-sum grant and varies based on the structure of the application: Single SME Projects up to €60,000 per project; Collaborative Projects: (Consortium of 2 to 3 SMEs): up to €90,000 per project.