Strengthening the EU crop breeding research and innovation ecosystem for competitive, resilient, and sustainable agriculture

Expected Outcome:

Successful proposals should contribute to the objectives of the common agricultural policy, the European Green Deal’s goals for resilient and sustainable agri-food systems and ensure the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of the farming sector within planetary boundaries. Proposals should also support the Commission communication on: Building the future with nature: Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU^[1] and should contribute to the expected impacts of the destination by enabling farmers and relevant actors in the agri-food sector to manage sustainable, efficient, profitable, circular, low greenhouse gas-emitting farming systems contributing to climate-neutrality and climate-resilience.

Projects are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:

• enhanced critical understanding and applicability of funding landscapes and financing models at national, regional and EU levels for plant breeding, is achieved, leading to more efficient coordination and streamlining of research and innovation actions among public and private actors;
• a co-creative environment is established, enabling stakeholders to collaboratively identify and prioritise shared research gaps and infrastructure needs for crop breeding, ensuring coordinated research efforts at national, regional, and EU levels;
• trans-national R&I cooperation between the public and private breeding sector and the research community is supported, focusing on shared research priorities, critical and emerging technologies, and aligning efforts to address key challenges in crop breeding;
• market access processes of new, improved varieties are facilitated, addressing identified gaps and development needs.

Scope:

Crop production faces growing challenges, including the urgent need to adapt to climate change, enhance water and nutrient efficiency, protect biodiversity, improve soil health, reduce environmental impacts, and ensure food security and resilience. Tackling these complex issues demands innovative solutions and the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources to develop resilient and adaptable crops. Prioritising diversification, resilience, and ecological approaches—including organic farming—will strengthen sustainable farming systems and boost the overall resilience of agriculture.

Support for smart, future-oriented plant breeding programs that prioritise traits enhancing crop resilience, sustainability, and adaptability, is a key objective for the coming years, aimed at strengthening food security. To achieve these goals, it is essential to ensure that companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the breeding sector, have access to cutting-edge scientific expertise, modern breeding technologies, and a highly skilled workforce. This will drive innovation and ensure that the latest advances benefit both farmers and the entire breeding community. Additionally, market access process for new varieties, including variety testing and registration, are critical in realising these benefits, and the research and development needs in relation to prioritised traits and values for cultivation should be identified.

Better coordination of research activities is crucial to overcome the current fragmentation of public and private research efforts. Strengthening collaboration across international, regional, and national levels will help integrate the needs of farmers, breeders, researchers, industry stakeholders, and society at large. A more connected and cohesive approach has the potential to enhance the efficiency of the research and breeding ecosystem, streamline innovation processes, align them with the needs of all stakeholders, and support the competitiveness of the agri-food value chain.

Proposals should:

• conduct a comprehensive mapping of the relevant plant breeding needs of farmers, breeders, industry and society, and related activities within the EU;
• evaluate the infrastructure available, including state-of-the-art infrastructure and demonstration facilities, and identify gaps that need to be addressed and the opportunities presented to support cutting-edge research and breeding activities, suitable to cover the needs of different agricultural sectors, including market access;
• provide evidence and insights on how current funding sources and financial models at EU, regional, and national levels are mobilised to support research and innovation in the plant breeding public and private sectors;
• assess adoption and implementation of participatory approaches for breeding activities and provide insights on integrating these methods, highlighting pathways for involving farmers, end-users, and other stakeholders to ensure that breeding outcomes meet diverse agricultural, environmental and societal needs;
• establish a structured framework for an EU-wide network that promotes close cooperation among research and innovation actors, including funders, research institutions, and infrastructure providers, alongside the public and private plant breeding sectors. This framework could be developed by coordinating and integrating existing networks and initiatives, creating a unified platform to facilitate collaboration, knowledge exchange, and joint initiatives;
• develop a strategic R&I roadmap that outlines priorities for plant breeding research and innovation at the EU level. Prepare the groundwork for potential action aimed at fostering cooperation, aligning efforts, and advancing the public and private plant breeding sectors.

Particular attention should be paid to minor, underutilised and permanent crops. All farming systems and approaches, including organic farming, are within scope. Specific considerations should be made for organic varieties and organic heterogeneous materials to ensure their unique needs are adequately addressed.

Proposals should consider the perspectives and needs of the different 27 EU Member States to ensure a high level of representation, while also considering relevant global initiatives, such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)^[2].

Proposals should ensure coherence and complementarity with ongoing relevant Horizon Europe projects, including the Agroecology partnership, and capitalise on existing relevant research findings and tools, such as those resulting from the Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects. Collaboration with European research infrastructures such as AnaEE-ERIC, EMPHASIS or other relevant research infrastructures^[3] is encouraged.

[1] COM (2024)137 final.

[2] Notably its target 13 on fair and equitable sharing of benefits that arise from the utilization of genetic resources.

[3] The catalogue of European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) research infrastructures portfolio can be browsed from ESFRI website https://ri-portfolio.esfri.eu/.