Cluster 6 Update
Funding opportuntities
As the Summer approaches it has been a very busy period in Cluster 6 with many Irish applicants planning and preparing submissions for the upcoming Horizon Europe Work Programme for 2025. To date Irish applicants have drawn down approximately €140 million under the cluster and early indications suggest a strong pipeline for the upcoming calls. A budget of €950M is available through Cluster 6 to fund EU research in food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment. The budget is spread over seven destinations with deadlines for applications closing in September 2025. For insights into the Work Programme topics and tips on drafting quality proposals, watch the recordings of the recent Info Days.
Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU)
CBE JU is a €2 billion partnership between the European Union and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) that funds projects advancing competitive circular bio-based industries under Horizon Europe. The CBE JU 2025 call for project proposals is open for submission until 18 September 2025. There are 13 topics with an overall budget of €172 million including: urban-industrial symbiosis for bio-waste valorisation, circular-by-design fibre-based packaging with improved properties, scaling-up nutritional proteins from alternative sources as well as a topic on the valorisation of untapped forest biomass.
For more information:
Mission Restore our Ocean and waters by 2030
New opportunities to support, restore, protect and preserve the health of our ocean, seas and waters are available under this Mission with a closing date of 24 September 2025. Innovative research and innovation will be funded covering eight topics:
- Blue Parks - Towards a coherent European network of strictly protected areas for restoring healthy and productive marine ecosystems
- A toolbox for public authorities to address marine plastics and litter from river-to-ocean
- Digital technologies and energy transition in fisheries and/or aquaculture
- Restoring Ocean and Waters in Regions
- Restoring Ocean and Waters in waterfront Cities and their Ports
- Restoring Ocean and Waters on Island
- Mission Lighthouses coordination and support activities
- EU Digital Twin Ocean: Contribution to the EU DTO core infrastructure through applications for sustainable ocean management
Mission Soil offers €121 million to restore soil health
Under Horizon Europe, the European Commission supports research and innovation to protect and restore European soil. This year, EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe” makes available €121 million in EU funding for innovative research projects under 13 topics including: impact of farming practices on soil health, soil salinity, development of soil-health interfaces and enhancing soil health in Continental, Boreal and Alpine regions. The deadline for submissions is 30 September 2025 for single-stage calls and 4 September 2025 for two-stage calls.
Draft Horizon Europe Cluster 6 Work Programme 2026-2027
The European Commission have made the latest draft of the cluster 6 work programme 2026-2027 publicly available through the Comitology Register. You can access the document through this link.
Project News
Keeping it real: the hidden battle against fake food
To combat food fraud, the WATSON project, funded under Cluster 6 and coordinated by Dr Dimitrios Argyropoulos, head of the Digital Tech Lab of the School of Biosystems and Food Engineering at University College Dublin, is developing portable DNA-based methods to ensure product authenticity and improve traceability. From Mediterranean olive oil to Scandinavian fish, researchers are integrating digital technologies into Europe’s key food industries to crack down on counterfeit products.
SCORE Project Concludes with Final Brochure on Coastal Resilience
The EU-funded SCORE project coordinated by Dr Salem Gharbia, Head of the Department of Environmental Science at the Atlantic Technological University Sligo is wrapping up after four years of work to strengthen climate resilience in Europe’s coastal cities. By combining nature-based solutions with smart technologies, the project tackled key challenges such as sea-level rise, coastal erosion, and extreme weather.
The final brochure presents SCORE’s key outcomes, including:
· Results from Coastal City Living Labs
· Highlights from research and collaboration with other EU projects
· Policy briefs to support adaptation at all levels
Policy News
Water Resilience Strategy
The new EU Water Resilience Strategy launched in June addresses the urgent challenge of securing water for the environment, economy, health and food. With global water demand expected to exceed supply by 40% by 2030, the EU aims to ensure both the availability and quality of water. The strategy focuses on improving governance, investment, digitalisation, research and disaster preparedness to build a more resilient and competitive water future.
EU launches its pioneering Ocean Pact for sustainable ocean management
The Ocean Pact is a comprehensive strategy to better protect the ocean, promote a thriving blue economy and support the well-being of people living in coastal areas. The ocean is the foundation of life on Earth and provides a wide range of resources, benefits and services. The ocean is critical for food security, energy production, and data. It is crucial for the prosperity and competitiveness of the EU blue economy.
With the world’s largest collective maritime area, about 70,000 km coastline and 40% of its population living within 50 km of the sea, the EU has a critical interest in maritime matters.
