The EU Horizon Europe Programme (Cluster 6) has opened a major funding opportunity to support innovative food processing solutions that accelerate the green transition of food systems in Africa.
This initiative aims to strengthen sustainable, energy-efficient, and circular food processing systems, helping reduce post-harvest losses, add value to African crops, and improve food security across the continent.
Funding Overview
• Up to €6 million per project
• €11 million total budget
• Approximately 2 projects expected to be funded
• Funding type: Horizon Europe Research & Innovation Action (RIA)
🎯 Priority Areas
• Sustainable and low-energy food processing technologies
• Circular bioeconomy solutions for food systems
• Reducing food loss and post-harvest waste
• Value addition for African crops such as cassava, pulses, cocoa, fish, and cereals
• Strengthening local agrifood processing value chains
Who Can Apply
Applications must be submitted by international research and innovation consortia, typically including:
• Universities and research institutions
• Agrifood companies and technology innovators
• Public research organizations and NGOs
• Innovation hubs and food processing technology developers
Partnerships should include organizations from Africa and Europe.
Geographic Focus
Projects should strengthen agrifood processing value chains across Africa, with collaboration between:
• African countries
• EU Member States
• Horizon Europe Associated Countries
Expected Outcome:
Project results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes:
- food processing facilities in Africa which target underutilized crops to deliver safe and healthy nutrition avoiding over processing, such as pulses and soy, millets, yams, cassava for some regions, fish and fisheries products, or food chains of high value for local markets or export, like the cocoa chain and fruits, both organic and conventional, have improved their operations investing in safe storage practices (avoiding mycotoxins and pesticide residues), quality assurance and control, innovative careful processing techniques and sustainable and reusable packaging, by using results from life sciences and biotechnologies, such as fermentation, in processes based on renewable energy;
- post-harvest food losses and waste are reduced, by using by-products in the process, following circular approaches in support of the new EU bioeconomy strategy through new and innovative techniques and best practices and food safety ready for scale-up by complementary instruments of the EU Global Gateway Strategy such as the AU-EU Innovation Agenda and the EU International Partnerships such as DeSIRA+.
Scope:
Proposals should:
- promote start-ups and other innovative SMEs by providing a space for mentoring and accelerating innovative business concepts, including social innovation and upscaling in view of African or European food business entrepreneurs with special consideration of diversity involving women, young entrepreneurs and the diaspora using cascading funding opportunities;
- lead to healthy, safe and nutritious food. New processing opportunities should increase biodiversity with increased market opportunities for underutilized crops. They should link to other projects of the AU-EU Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture Priority (FNSSA) in particular the CEA-First coordination and support action and the International Research Consortium. It should build on results of previous projects including linkages to projects funded under the AU-EU priority on “Climate Change and Sustainable Energy (CCSE)”.
Proposals must follow the multi-actor approach, by combining researchers, food processors (including the informal sector), farmers, NGOs and other food systems actors.
Proposals are encouraged to work together with the Joint Research Centre via the European Commission’s Knowledge Centre on Global Food and Nutrition Security to leverage its knowledge base on relevant topics (e.g. on nutrition and the use and potentials of neglected and underutilised crops) and to expand the reach and dissemination of the project’s results.
Proposals may involve financial support to third parties e.g. to academic researchers, start-ups, SMEs and other multidisciplinary actors, to, for instance, develop, test or validate approaches.
When relevant, proposals should take into account the activities of NDICI[1] funded Regional Centres of Excellence related to green transition.
