Towards More Effective, Fair And Coherent Policies For Climate Change Mitigation And Adaptation In Agriculture And Forestry
HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
Basic Information
- Identifier
- HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-CLIMATE-01
- Programme
- Call 02 - single stage (2026)
- Programme Period
- 2021 - 2027
- Status
- Open (31094502)
- Opening Date
- January 14, 2026
- Deadline
- April 14, 2026
- Deadline Model
- single-stage
- Budget
- €11,800,000
- Min Grant Amount
- €5,000,000
- Max Grant Amount
- €6,000,000
- Expected Number of Grants
- 2
- Keywords
- HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-CLIMATE-01HORIZON-CL6-2026-02AgricultureClimate change adaptationClimate change mitigationForestry
Description
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- decision-makers and stakeholders in the EU and in Associated Countries have access to comprehensive information and analyses on policy tools applied in the EU, in Associated Countries or in other jurisdictions whose experience can enrich the analysis, and which are targeting or otherwise affecting climate-change mitigation and adaptation outcomes in agriculture and in forestry;
- decision-makers and stakeholders in the EU and in Associated Countries have access to evidence on the trade-offs and synergies between the application of policy tools regarding climate change mitigation and adaptation and their impact on economic, social and environmental outcomes, including those that do not harm or benefit biodiversity;
- mutual learning takes place within and across science, policy and society on the characteristics and outcomes of different climate policy strategies affecting agriculture and forestry, the conditions of their effectiveness, and about synergies and trade-offs with other relevant sectoral and horizontal policies.
Agriculture and forestry are among the sectors most directly impacted by climate change, while also playing important roles in its mitigation, through greenhouse gas emissions, their reduction and carbon removals from the atmosphere. These roles are addressed in horizontal EU climate policies such as the Regulations on Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) [1] and on Effort-sharing [2] or the forthcoming Climate Adaptation Plan, as well as in sectoral policies, most notably the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) with a host of relevant rules and voluntary measures. The climate performance in agriculture and forestry is indirectly also affected by many other policies and measures, be they sectoral (e.g., on market organisation or on income support) or horizontal (e.g., on competitiveness). Depending on their design and application, climate policies in turn also have impacts beyond their immediate objectives, e.g. on competitiveness, income distribution, and biodiversity and nature protection. Apart from policies applicable in the EU and its Member States and in Associated Countries, the outcomes in each of these jurisdictions are also impacted by rules and standards applied in other parts of the world, through international markets and other transboundary effects.
While efforts are made in some contexts to expand the scope of regular policy evaluations, so that they also include “external factors” and unintended consequences, this poses significant challenges methodologically and in terms of data and thus often remains an afterthought in analyses focused on individual policies or sectors. There is a need for more aggregate consideration of the full spectrum of levers impacting on climate outcomes, in a comparative and systemic perspective, with a view to improving the overall effectiveness, fairness and coherence of public policies.
Proposals should:
- making use inter alia of advanced technological potentials for accelerated evidence synthesis, take stock of existing analyses and evidence on the performance of sectoral and horizontal instruments affecting climate-change mitigation and adaptation in the agricultural and forestry sectors, also in terms of the distribution of costs and benefits within and across sectors and societies;
- design and carry out research to fill gaps in the understanding of the above questions, covering a broad range of policy instruments across relevant outcomes and include compound effects on other policy objectives as well as spill-overs from climate-relevant policies with a different (primary) objective, including biodiversity and nature protection;
- for the agricultural and forestry sectors address adaptation as well as mitigation-related policies and outcomes and assess how (and with how much success) their interconnections have been reflected in relevant policies and institutions, identifying relevant enabling conditions;
- develop frameworks for assessing overall policy outcomes across potentially conflicting objectives and identify specific leverage points for realistically improving aggregate outcomes, taking into account any existing review processes or mechanisms.
This topic should involve the effective contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines. Proposals are encouraged to consider, where relevant, the data, expertise and services offered by European research infrastructures in the environmental, biological and food domains.
Destination & Scope
This destination will support the EU Commission priority ‘Sustaining our quality of life: food security, water and nature’.
This destination is expected to foster mitigation and adaptation to climate change on land, in the ocean and water, and therefore contribute to Cluster 6 in support of the ambition for Europe to become the first climate-neutral and climate-resilient continent by 2050.
The destination supports the evidence-base for the implementation of the European Green Deal and its climate and biodiversity objectives included in the European Climate Law, the Nature Restoration Regulation, the European Ocean Pact, the Arctic policy, the amended Regulation on land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF), the Regulation on Carbon Farming and Carbon Removals.
The destination also fosters the development and deployment of innovative solutions and approaches to strengthen Europe’s water security to deliver on the European Water Resilience Strategy, support the implementation of EU water legislation and contribute to the European Climate Adaptation Plan. The destination has complementarities with Cluster 5, climate science and the European Missions on Adaptation to Climate Change and Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030.
R&I actions under this destination will encourage international cooperation and help achieve international commitments concerning land, water, and ocean for climate action under the Paris Agreement, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), the Treaty on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) and the Antarctic Treaty. Strengthening the ocean-climate-biodiversity-cryosphere nexus is a priority for the EU, as well as safeguarding the integrity and resilience of the ocean and polar regions as vulnerable parts of the Earth System. R&I will support and close key knowledge gaps through research that contributes substantially to the implementation of key international treaties and the work of various international bodies, assessments, and other initiatives.
The Destination supports unlocking the unique assets for research and innovation of the EU outermost regions, in line with the EU strategy for outermost regions [1].
Expected Impact: Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway contributing to “Fostering mitigation of and adaptation to climate change in areas and sectors covered by Cluster 6”, and more specifically to one or more of the following expected impacts:
- Strengthened knowledge and understanding and reduced uncertainty about the future of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in the short, medium, and long term, and its impacts on the Global Ocean and the Earth System are available and used, alongside identified commensurate management responses to prevent the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic cryosphere from reaching a point of no return, including enabling protecting, restoring and sustainably managing marine and coastal ecosystems and preventing pollution.
- Effective policy mixes and multi-level governance capable of anticipating a changing Arctic and enabling a just and sustainable transition for all, engaging society at large and balancing economic, social and environmental goals, thanks to improved evidence-based knowledge, tools and science-society-policy interfaces.
- Carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions from land and water activities (inland, marine and coastal) – including primary production – and infrastructures are minimised in rural, urban, and coastal areas while the monitoring, reporting and verification of the emissions is improved.
- Medium- and long-term adaptation and resilience of water infrastructure, agriculture and forestry to challenges related to climate change is further addressed with regard to scientific knowledge, public policy and economic practices.
[1] COM(2022) Putting people first, securing sustainable and inclusive growth, unlocking the potential of the EU’s outermost regions.
Eligibility & Conditions
General conditions
1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout
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
described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion
described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds
are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes
are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement
described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants
Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025) [[This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal, in the reference documents section for Horizon Europe, under ‘Simplified costs decisions’ or through this link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ls-decision_he_en.pdf]].
described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Specific conditions
described in the [specific topic of the Work Programme]
Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):
Application form templates — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)
Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)
Guidance
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
Call-specific instructions
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes
HE Framework Programme 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Frequently Asked Questions About Towards More Effective, Fair And Coherent Policies For Climate Change Mitigation And Adaptation In Agriculture And Forestry
Support & Resources
Online Manual is your guide on the procedures from proposal submission to managing your grant.
Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains the detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of Horizon Europe.
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