Balancing food security, bioeconomy, climate and biodiversity objectives to unlock sustainable value chains
Open
Status as published by the data source.
Expected Outcome:
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
• decision-makers have improved understanding of the impacts of bioeconomy and nature markets on the sustainability of the agricultural sector, food security, climate and biodiversity, as well as on land-use conflicts;
• society benefits from economic activities that align bioeconomy, climate and biodiversity objectives while safeguarding food security;
• farmers gain opportunities to diversify their production, their income and improve the environmental performance of agricultural production without compromising food supply;
• policymakers are better equipped to develop more effective, evidence-based agricultural and environmental policies. Scope:
As the bioeconomy and nature markets gain importance, enabling diversification of value streams for farmers, policymakers must ensure that the growing use of agricultural biomass and agricultural land for non-food purposes (e.g., for the development of novel bio-based chemicals, compounds, materials, products and services, energy production, environmental services provision, carbon and biodiversity credits) does not compromise food security. For the purpose of this topic, nature markets encompass market mechanisms (e.g., nature credits as proposed in the Nature Credits Roadmap[1], carbon credits, market-based payments for environmental services) mobilising private finance to create income streams for primary producers in return for undertaking actions supporting well-functioning ecosystem services (e.g., water quality and availability, biodiversity, climate). Strategies are needed to balance market incentives, safeguard food supply and the environment, and support farmers in diversifying incomes through sustainable business models and value chains. Successful proposals should support the EU Vision for Agriculture and Food, the Common Agricultural Policy, the new EU bioeconomy strategy, the Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation and the climate and biodiversity objectives of the European Green Deal.
Proposals should:
• explore natural capital accounting methods integrating economics and nature into agricultural accounts, and their potential to support economic valuation, pricing and integration in decision-making of environmental services provided by farmers;
• analyse existing and develop new innovative business models and value chains from which farmers can derive fair value and new income beyond food and feed production. This work should include, among others, an assessment of their potential to integrate sustainable practices, enhance farm profitability and performance, and support the transition to a circular bio-based economy and the green transition, as well as an assessment of the market operators involved;
• when conducting the research/assessment, consider the potential of biomass residues and secondary biomass streams, including waste, as well as low value, unused or underutilised biomass, and land areas;
• conduct interdisciplinary research from farm to macro levels, encompassing economic, social, biodiversity and climate impacts, and provide analytical tools in particular assessing implications for:
• farmers' income, decision-making and farm management including of its natural capital;
• biomass supply and demand and threshold effects of market prices on production choices;
• land-use conflicts and food security risks (covering the availability, accessibility, utilisation and stability dimensions), considering leakage effects and other potential conflicts of use (e.g. water);
• provide recommendations for the design of policies and sustainable business models and value chains. The recommendations should anticipate trade-offs and align bioeconomy, climate and biodiversity goals while safeguarding food security and ensuring that farmers can diversify and receive fair incomes. They should also respond to evolving consumer demand. Proposals should ensure complementarities with ongoing relevant Horizon Europe projects and capitalise on existing relevant research findings and tools. Proposals should also ensure synergies with other relevant EU-funded LIFE and knowledge innovation projects, studies, pilot projects, initiatives and processes (e.g., Economic Accounts for Agriculture framework).
Proposals should include a dedicated task, appropriate resources and a plan on how they will collaborate with other projects selected under this topic (e.g., by participating in joint activities, workshops, as well as common communication and dissemination activities).
Proposals must implement the multi-actor approach, with a consortium based on a balanced mix of actors with complementary knowledge, including farmers, researchers, farm accountants, and businesses.
This topic should involve the effective contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines.
Proposals are encouraged to consider, where relevant, the data, expertise and services offered by European research infrastructures[2] in the environment, biological & food domains.
[1] EUR-Lex - 52025DC0374 - EN - EUR-Lex
[2] The catalogue of European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) research infrastructures portfolio can be browsed from ESFRI website https://ri-portfolio.esfri.eu/
- Status
- Open
- Deadline
- (time not stated)
- Opens
- Published
- Total budget
- €12,000,000
- Grant range
- €6,000,000 – €6,000,000
- Country
- European Union (EU-wide)
- Programme
- Horizon Europe (HORIZON)
- Official page
- Open at the source portal
Other calls under Horizon Europe (HORIZON)
- PV based electrification of the economy: Designing & optimising PV systems supporting industrial electrification and promoting participation in electricity markets (EUPI-PV Partnership)
- Advanced TSO control rooms to enhance grid observability, stability and resilience
- Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADSM) for more efficient and flexible distribution grids
- Community of practice - Data-Driven Decision-Making in Energy
- Industrial processes and equipment for innovative, reliable and scalable tandem technologies (EUPI-PV Partnership)
- Integrated Approaches for Retrofitting Infrastructures with Innovative Energy Storage Technologies
- Demonstration of hydropower technologies for efficient and forward-looking refurbishment of existing hydropower plants
- Delivery of industrial CCUS clusters – Societal Readiness pilot
All calls under this programme
Similar opportunities
- Towards a Europe of Bioeconomy Places
- Boosting agrobiodiversity for food security and sustainable competitiveness
- Improving biomass flows for a sustainable and circular bioeconomy
- Improving understanding of the contribution of the organic farming sector to sustainability
- Bio-based innovation in society: supporting the sustainable way of living
- International dimension of the circular bio-based economy: seeking win-win opportunities
Where this came from
- Source document
- https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/data/topicDetails/horizon-cl6-2026-01-circbio-09.json
- Document fingerprint
2954d167cbd94233(SHA-256, first 16 hex characters)- Retrieved
- First recorded here
What has changed
- url first recorded as https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl6-2026-01-circbio-09 on
- currency first recorded as EUR on
- amount_max first recorded as 6000000.00 on
- amount_min first recorded as 6000000.00 on
- budget_total first recorded as 12000000.00 on
- deadline first recorded as 2026-09-17 on
- opens_on first recorded as 2026-04-17 on
- published_on first recorded as 2025-12-12 on
- status_basis first recorded as source_status on
- status first recorded as open on
- title first recorded as Balancing food security, bioeconomy, climate and biodiversity objectives to unlock sustainable value chains on
Data source
© European Union, 2026. Source: EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU — CC BY 4.0.
Retrieved from the source on .
The source last updated this document on Tue, 05 May 2026 07:58:04 GMT.
Personal data of natural persons has been dissociated by quiescence.eu.
This service is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by the data publishers.