Exploring the potential of controlled environment agriculture (CEA)

The main goal of this opportunity is to advance Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) as a key approach to address global food security and sustainability challenges. The focus is on supporting sustainable, efficient, and profitable farming systems that are circular, low in emissions, and contribute to climate neutrality. This opportunity aims to make farming more attractive and rewarding, while providing a comprehensive understanding of CEA's technological, societal, and environmental impacts. Projects should also consider policy implications and trade-offs. The geographic scope includes EU outermost regions, Central and Eastern Europe, widening countries, and encourages international cooperation, particularly with Africa and other global partners.

• Projects must follow the specified proposal format and page limits.
• Only applicants from eligible countries can participate, with special provisions for certain non-EU countries.
• Applicants need to demonstrate both financial and operational capacity.
• Projects are evaluated based on clear criteria, scoring, and thresholds.
• Eligible costs are provided as lump sums, and projects may include financial support for third parties (such as SMEs), with a maximum grant of EUR 60,000 per third party.

Examples:

• A research project developing a new CEA technology involving partners from Central Europe and Africa.
• A pilot initiative supporting SMEs in outermost EU regions to test low-emission indoor farming systems.
• A cross-border study assessing the policy impacts of circular agriculture practices in widening countries.

• Lump sum contributions for project activities
• Grants to third parties (maximum EUR 60,000 per third party)
• Funding for SMEs to test, validate, or develop innovative technologies or solutions
• Personnel costs related to project implementation
• Equipment and materials necessary for CEA research and innovation
• Costs for collaboration and networking with international partners
• Travel and subsistence for project-related activities
• Dissemination and communication activities
• Project management and administrative expenses

Up to 30% of EU funding may be allocated to financial support for third parties, especially SMEs. No single third party may receive more than EUR 60,000.

• Budget for this Call: 6.000.000€
• Number of Grants attributed: 1
• Budget per project: 6.000.000€

• Consortium: Minimum of 3 independent legal entities from 3 different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries, including at least one EU-based partner 

• Eligible participants: Universities, research centres, SMEs, industry associations, public bodies, NGOs, etc., established in eligible countries 

• Coordinator: Must be based in an eligible country and demonstrate operational and financial capacity 

• Affiliated/Third-Country Entities: Permitted but do not count toward consortium minimum and are generally not EU-funded 

• Project focus requirement: Must explore use of controlled environment agriculture systems (e.g. greenhouses, vertical farms, sensors, AI, resource-efficient cultivation)