Nutrition in emergency situations - Ready-to-use Supplementary Food (RUSF) and Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food (RUTF)

The main goal of this opportunity is to expand the availability and local production of Ready-to-use Supplementary Food (RUSF) and Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), making life-saving nutrition products more accessible to children in need. The focus is on supporting sustainable, locally adapted nutrition solutions that meet national regulations and dietary preferences. Projects should help African governments develop energy, protein, and micronutrient supplements, while also addressing climate adaptation, sustainable resource management, resilience, disaster risk reduction, and biodiversity restoration. The opportunity covers all African Union member states and encourages international collaboration, particularly under the EU-Africa Partnership on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture. EU outermost regions and Central and Eastern European countries are also invited to participate.

• Projects must follow required page limits and formatting.
• They must use a multi-actor approach with active involvement from different stakeholders.
• Consortia must include at least three independent legal entities from African Union member states, with at least two from the same African region.
• International organizations based in EU Member States or Associated Countries can participate.
• Legal entities in all African Union member states are eligible, even if their membership is suspended.
• Up to 20% of EU funding can be used for financial support to third parties, such as researchers, health institutes, start-ups, and SMEs.
• Projects should include innovation acceleration, social science, and social innovation components.

Examples:

• A partnership between universities, local food producers, and a health NGO in West Africa develops new, locally sourced RUTF formulas for malnourished children.
• An innovation hub in East Africa supports start-ups to create climate-resilient supply chains for nutrient supplements.
• A consortium in Southern Africa mentors SMEs to scale up sustainable RUSF production, integrating social science research to improve community acceptance.

• Personnel costs for research, development, and innovation activities
• Purchase of materials and ingredients for RUSF and RUTF production
• Equipment and tools for local food processing
• Costs for piloting and testing new nutrition products
• Travel and logistics for collaboration and fieldwork
• Workshops, training, and mentoring for stakeholders
• Communication and dissemination activities
• Financial support to third parties (up to EUR 60,000 per third party)
• Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting costs

Restrictions: Financial support to third parties is capped at 20% of the total EU funding and EUR 60,000 per third party. All costs must fit within a lump sum funding model.

• Budget for this Call: 8.000.000€
• Number of Grants attributed: 2
• Budget per project: 4.000.000€

• Projects must use a multi-actor approach, involving various relevant stakeholders.
• Consortia must have at least three independent legal entities from African Union member states.
• At least two entities must be based in the same African region.
• International organizations headquartered in an EU Member State or Associated Country are eligible.
• Entities from all African Union member states, including those with temporarily suspended membership, can apply.
• Projects may involve networks or partnerships to meet the multi-actor approach requirement.