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Making food systems more resilient to food safety risks through the deployment of technological solutions

European Commission

Expected Outcome:

The successful proposal will be in line with the European Green Deal priorities and the farm to fork strategy for a fair healthy and environmentally friendly food system. This topic is also in line with the overall challenges highlighted in the updated Food 2030 pathways for action 2.0 report, particularly on the food safety systems of the future pathway, this report was published in December 2023 by the European Commission.

Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:

a new level of ambition and creativity is implemented to tackle innovation creation, enhancing the deployment of solutions in the field of food safety and/or food fraud using existing knowledge, available technologies (such as molecular methods, genomic strategies, photonics, biotechnology, etc.) and the results achieved by European framework programmes projects. The EU’s strong knowledge base is translated into marketable results addressing the “innovation paradox” (i.e. the fact that knowledge does not always translate to marketable products and services);
food systems become more resilient to food safety risks through the use and exploitation of available knowledge and technologies;
increased food chain and food systems competitiveness creating close to the market impactful applications that will benefit and connect solutions for food systems actors (i.e., farming, raw materials and ingredients suppliers, food industry, etc.);
increased complementarities and results uptake in the field of food safety and/or food fraud with past and existing European framework programmes projects, and synergies with programmes and their associated project results from the European Research Council (ERC) and the European Innovation Council (EIC);
contribute to EU climate action: deployment of clean technologies in the food industry, to boost food manufacturing efficiency and reduce carbon footprint.

Scope:

Proposals should contribute to all of the following aspects:

in the areas of food safety and food fraud a lot of efforts have been invested in European framework programme projects generating knowledge and potential applications. Proposals should contribute to further develop existing knowledge and technological results in the areas to reach higher TRLs aligned with user’s needs and estimating the potential impact on cost for the consumers;
support innovation to foster advances along the food system implementing digital and technological solutions in high TRL´s covering existing food safety and/or food fraud gaps. Proposals should develop and implement innovative solutions close to the market. This should be based on an initial food chain needs and technology gap analysis in the area of food safety hazards (including climate-related ones when applicable) and/or food fraud justifying the followed decision-making process. When selecting the food safety and/or food fraud technologies the most innovative clean technologies should be favoured in scenarios of equal conditions to reduce GHG emissions. The exploitation plan should include preliminary plans for commercialisation and deployment (feasibility study, business plan) indicating the possible funding sources to be potentially used;
identify existing regulations and give recommendations about which technologies could use sandboxes to foster future commercialisation;

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1️⃣ Strong, Mission-Aligned Impact (Most Important Across EC Calls)

The EC is impact-driven: proposals must show how the project will:

Solve a major European or global societal challenge

Deliver measurable, lasting benefits for EU citizens

Produce outputs that can be used by policymakers, industry, or society

Align with Horizon Europe missions, priorities, and strategic agendas

Predictor: Clear, quantifiable, EU-level impact → strongest scoring factor.

2️⃣ Clear, Ambitious, but Achievable Objectives

Successful proposals show:

2–4 well-defined objectives linked to the Work Programme call text

Clearly articulated research questions or innovation goals

Logical, realistic expected outcomes and deliverables

Feasible scientific and technical approaches

Predictor: Balanced ambition + feasibility.

3️⃣ Excellent, Cutting-Edge Science or Innovation

For RIA/IA/CSA or ERC-level grants, reviewers expect:

High novelty and innovation

Strong grounding in current state-of-the-art

Clear advancement beyond existing approaches

Solid theoretical or experimental foundations

Robust methodological design

Predictor: Scientific excellence is essential for competitive scoring.

4️⃣ Strong Consortium with Complementary Expertise

EC proposals are consortium-driven (except ERC/EIC Accelerator).

High-scoring consortia:

Cover all needed competencies (science, industry, policy, ethics, dissemination)

Include SMEs, industry partners, NGOs, and public bodies when relevant

Are geographically diverse across EU Member States and Associated Countries

Demonstrate strong leadership and communication structures

Predictor: Well-constructed consortium with clear roles.

5️⃣ Clear Pathway From Outputs → Outcomes → Impact

Evaluators look for a credible trajectory showing:

How research leads to specific outputs (data, tools, prototypes)

How outputs lead to uptake or use

How use produces societal, economic, scientific, or policy impact

Strong Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and impact metrics

Predictor: Clearly mapped impact pathway.

6️⃣ Strong Implementation Plan (Work Packages, Deliverables, Gantt Chart)

Winning proposals have:

Well-designed Work Packages (WPs) with clear scope and responsibilities

Interdependencies identified and risk-mitigation strategies

Detailed milestones and deliverables

Feasible budget aligned with tasks

Strong project management plan

Predictor: High implementation quality boosts the “Excellence” and “Implementation” scores.

7️⃣ Policy Relevance and Contribution to EU Strategies

Especially critical for health, climate, digital, and social calls.

Proposals score higher when they link to:

EU Cancer Mission

EU Green Deal

Digital Europe strategy

EU Biodiversity Strategy

EU Health Union & One Health

Open Science & FAIR data mandates

Predictor: Clear alignment with EU policies.

8️⃣ Strong Stakeholder & Citizen Engagement (Especially in Social & Health Missions)

EC values inclusivity:

Patient groups

Civil society organizations

Public sector bodies

Regulatory agencies

Citizen science components

Stakeholder letters of intent or commitment strengthen credibility.

Predictor: Engagement adds impact and relevance.

9️⃣ Robust Data Management, Open Science, and Ethics

Mandatory components include:

FAIR Data Management Plan

Open access publications

Ethics self-assessment

GDPR compliance

Data security, governance, and ethical approvals

Animal-use reduction and justification (if applicable)

Predictor: Clear compliance with ethical and data obligations.

10️⃣ Well-Justified Budget and Resource Allocation

Budget must be:

Proportional to tasks

Transparent and reasonable

Efficiently distributed among partners

Free from padding or unjustified costs

Predictor: Realistic budgets improve Implementation scores.

🚫 COMMON PITFALLS THAT LEAD TO EC GRANT REJECTION

Pitfall	Why It Fails
Weak connection to Work Programme text	Immediate score reduction
Vague or generic impact statements	Poor Impact score
Overly ambitious, unrealistic scope	Feasibility concerns
Poorly structured consortium	Low Implementation score
No policy relevance	Weak strategic alignment
Lack of concrete KPIs or outcomes	Impact unclear
Weak data or ethics plan	Eligibility/score penalties
No exploitation or dissemination plan	Insufficient impact credibility
Budget misalignment	Reviewer distrust

Specialties

Environmental Health

Technology Development

Eligibility Requirements

General conditions

1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout

Applicants submitting a proposal under the blind evaluation pilot (see General Annex F) must not disclose their organisation names, acronyms, logos nor names of personnel in the proposal abstract and Part B of their first-stage application (see General Annex E).

described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

2. Eligible Countries

described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

3. Other Eligible Conditions

The following additional eligibility criteria apply: The proposals must apply the multi-actor approach. See definition of the multi-actor approach in the introduction to this work programme part.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: European Commission

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: Rue de la Loi 200 / Wetstraat 200, 1049 Brussels

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