HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-03 Looking for consortium – Expertise in Sustainable Protein Crop Systems and Circular Agri-Value Chains

The Sustainable Food & Farming Systems unit at BETA Technological Center is looking to join a consortium preparing a proposal for HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-03: Boosting the competitiveness of protein crops in Europe. The unit provides integrated expertise covering the agronomic, environmental, and systemic dimensions required to support the transition towards more sustainable, resilient, and climate-adapted agri-food systems. The unit focuses on the development, assessment, and implementation of farming and food system solutions that enhance resource efficiency, soil health, and ecosystem functioning while maintaining productive and economically viable agricultural systems. Its work addresses key challenges related to climate change adaptation and mitigation, nutrient and soil management, circular bioeconomy approaches, and the deployment of regenerative agricultural practices, including agroforestry, perennial and mixed cropping systems, with particular relevance for Mediterranean farming contexts.

The unit has strong applied research capacity to test and validate innovative practices at farm, pilot, and demonstration levels, including strategies for improving nutrient cycling, reducing environmental pressures, enhancing carbon sequestration, and valorising agri-food residues through circular approaches such as tailored fertilisers and biostimulants. A core strength of the team lies in its close collaboration with farmers, advisors, agri-food actors, and public stakeholders, enabling co-design processes that ensure solutions are practical, context-specific, and scalable. Through this combination of systems analysis, field-based experimentation, and stakeholder engagement, the Sustainable Food & Farming Systems unit can effectively contribute to multidisciplinary consortia aiming to deliver tangible impacts aligned with the EU Farm to Fork Strategy, strengthening food system resilience and supporting long-term environmental and socio-economic sustainability.

Projects related to this area of expertise include COUSIN, Transformed, DeliSoil and CARBON FARMING MED. For more detailed information, take a look at the website: Sustainable Food & Farming Systems