Enhancing sustainability and resilience of agriculture, forestry and rural development through digital twins

The main goal of this opportunity is to improve the sustainability and resilience of rural areas, agriculture, and forestry by using digital twins. It aims to help rural communities, farmers, and foresters leverage digital technologies to meet sustainability and climate adaptation goals, while strengthening rural economies. The focus is on designing and testing digital twins, creating 3D maps and web platforms for villages, and promoting collaborative, citizen-focused governance. Projects should also assess the costs and benefits of digital twin implementation and support training and the growth of rural innovation networks. Activities are targeted at diverse rural areas and villages across Europe, considering their unique environmental, economic, and digital contexts.

• Projects must follow specific page and layout requirements.
• They must use a multi-actor approach, involving a balanced mix of rural actors, universities, and research organizations.
• If using satellite data, projects must rely on Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS services.
• The gender dimension must be included in all activities.
• Projects should cover various biogeographical regions and village types across Europe.
• Up to 30% of funding can be given as sub-grants to third parties, with a maximum of EUR 60,000 per third party.

Examples:

• A project where a university, a rural village council, and a tech company co-design a digital twin to monitor local forest health.
• An initiative that uses Copernicus satellite data to create a web platform for farmers to track crop growth and predict climate risks.
• A consortium that includes women-led rural organizations to ensure gender inclusivity in digital twin training and deployment.

• Development of digital twin prototypes for rural areas
• Creation of 3D maps and web-based platforms for villages
• Costs for training and capacity building activities
• Expenses related to collaborative governance and citizen engagement
• Assessment and analysis of digital twin costs and benefits
• Support for building rural innovation ecosystems
• Financial support to third parties (up to EUR 60,000 per recipient)
• Testing and validation of digital twin solutions by rural actors, SMEs, or researchers
• Project management and coordination costs

Restrictions: Financial support to third parties is capped at 30% of total EU funding, with a maximum of EUR 60,000 per third party.

• Budget for this Call: 12.000.000€
• Number of Grants attributed: 2
• Budget per project: 6.000.000€

• Projects must involve a balanced partnership of relevant actors, such as rural stakeholders, universities, and research organizations.
• The gender dimension must be addressed in project design and implementation.
• If using satellite-based data, Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS services must be included.
• Proposals must build on and complement other EU-funded projects and initiatives.
• Applicants can allocate up to 30% of the funding to third parties, with a maximum of EUR 60,000 per recipient.
• Only grants (not loans or other financial instruments) can be used for financial support to third parties.