Enhancing the competitiveness of organic crop breeding: focus on intercropping adapted varieties - European Commission
Funds research to develop organic crop varieties adapted to intercropping, advancing breeding tools and understanding plant interactions for sustainable agriculture.
Funder: European Commission
Due Dates: September 22, 2027
Funding Amounts: €12,000,000 total; typically around €6,000,000 per project; 2 grants expected; single-stage, lump sum
Summary: Supports research and innovation to develop organic crop varieties specifically adapted to intercropping, advancing breeding tools and plant interaction understanding for sustainable agriculture.
Key Information: Single-stage application; proposals must address intercropping and organic breeding, and can include financial support to third parties.
Description
This European Commission Horizon Europe grant aims to boost the competitiveness of the organic crop breeding sector by supporting research and innovation projects that develop crop varieties specifically adapted to intercropping and organic production systems. Projects should generate new knowledge about plant interactions (both aboveground and belowground), develop new breeding approaches for multi-species systems, and provide tools and frameworks for evaluating specialized genotypes in intercropping conditions. A special focus is placed on advancing Organic Heterogeneous Material (OHM) and Organic Varieties Suitable for Organic Production (OVSOP), leveraging prior EU-funded research, and fostering collaboration with European research infrastructures.
