Upscaling innovative payments to support farmers in the delivery of agri-environment-climate public goods
Horizon Europe – Cluster 6: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
Funding Amount
Up to €6.0M
Deadline
24/09/2025
Eligible Organization Types
Non-profit, Private Business, Research Institution, Public Institution
Trusted by
What is the Upscaling innovative payments to support farmers in the delivery of agri-environment-climate public goods Call?
Grant Description
This call supports innovation actions to develop, pilot and upscale result-based, collective or spatially coordinated payment for environmental services schemes in diverse farming contexts. It aims to mobilise private funding, ensure fair remuneration for farmers, apply robust monitoring, identify and overcome barriers to upscaling, and build capacity through training and multi-actor co-creation. The expected impact is more resilient and sustainable farming systems, long-term financing for envir...
Required Results for Successful Funding
Expected Outcomes
Project results are expected to contribute to:
• Increased understanding among policymakers, businesses, farmers and stakeholders of the role of environmental services in a flourishing society, leading to active engagement in PES schemes with result-based, collective and/or spatially coordinated governance models that ensure long-term financing at scale;
• Enhanced knowledge and availability of innovative tools enabling the development, implementation and upscaling of context-adapted PES schemes;
• Broad, long-term participation of farmers and businesses across diverse contexts in innovative PES schemes;
• Society-wide benefits from more targeted support for agri-environment-climate public goods, yielding positive social, economic, biodiversity and climate impacts;
• Contribution to just societal transformation, community empowerment and societal participation in support of the Green Deal green transition.
• Increased understanding among policymakers, businesses, farmers and stakeholders of the role of environmental services in a flourishing society, leading to active engagement in PES schemes with result-based, collective and/or spatially coordinated governance models that ensure long-term financing at scale;
• Enhanced knowledge and availability of innovative tools enabling the development, implementation and upscaling of context-adapted PES schemes;
• Broad, long-term participation of farmers and businesses across diverse contexts in innovative PES schemes;
• Society-wide benefits from more targeted support for agri-environment-climate public goods, yielding positive social, economic, biodiversity and climate impacts;
• Contribution to just societal transformation, community empowerment and societal participation in support of the Green Deal green transition.
Funded areas
Scope Requirements
Proposals must:
• develop and/or improve, test, pilot and evaluate PES schemes using result-based, collective and/or spatially coordinated approaches across a diversity of real-world farming contexts;
• put special emphasis on mobilising private funding sources and assess social and economic implications under different scenarios;
• analyse agriculture and food value chains to propose just and fair remuneration mechanisms for environmental services;
• develop, validate and apply robust, cost-effective monitoring frameworks for services provided by farmers;
• identify barriers and enablers for implementing and upscaling such schemes and co-design strategies to overcome them, building on and complementing state-of-the-art knowledge;
• support capacity building, training, reskilling and education on contractual, technical, financial, legal and administrative dimensions;
• ensure complementarities with ongoing relevant Horizon Europe projects (e.g. “A Soil Deal for Europe”) and synergies with LIFE projects, EU-funded studies, pilot projects and processes;
• include a dedicated work package, resources and plan for collaboration with other projects selected under this topic;
• implement the multi-actor approach with a balanced consortium including farmers, SMEs, researchers, businesses and SSH disciplines;
• optionally provide financial support to third parties (SMEs) for piloting activities (max 10% of EU funding) with transparent selection procedures.
• develop and/or improve, test, pilot and evaluate PES schemes using result-based, collective and/or spatially coordinated approaches across a diversity of real-world farming contexts;
• put special emphasis on mobilising private funding sources and assess social and economic implications under different scenarios;
• analyse agriculture and food value chains to propose just and fair remuneration mechanisms for environmental services;
• develop, validate and apply robust, cost-effective monitoring frameworks for services provided by farmers;
• identify barriers and enablers for implementing and upscaling such schemes and co-design strategies to overcome them, building on and complementing state-of-the-art knowledge;
• support capacity building, training, reskilling and education on contractual, technical, financial, legal and administrative dimensions;
• ensure complementarities with ongoing relevant Horizon Europe projects (e.g. “A Soil Deal for Europe”) and synergies with LIFE projects, EU-funded studies, pilot projects and processes;
• include a dedicated work package, resources and plan for collaboration with other projects selected under this topic;
• implement the multi-actor approach with a balanced consortium including farmers, SMEs, researchers, businesses and SSH disciplines;
• optionally provide financial support to third parties (SMEs) for piloting activities (max 10% of EU funding) with transparent selection procedures.
Additional Conditions for Applicants
Special Conditions
• Mandatory multi-actor approach; consortia must include complementary actors (farmers, researchers, businesses, SSH experts).
• Activities expected to reach TRL 7–8 by project end (may start at any TRL).
• Optional Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) capped at 10% of EU funding; third-party grants up to €60 000 each.
• JRC may participate experimentally in testing PES schemes.
• Proposals must demonstrate complementarities and synergies with existing Horizon Europe and LIFE projects, EU-funded studies and pilot processes.
• Effective involvement of Social Sciences and Humanities disciplines is required.
• Involvement of SMEs—especially farmer-SMEs—is strongly encouraged.
• Proposals must include a dedicated task, budget and plan for collaboration (joint events, workshops, dissemination) with other selected projects.
• Activities expected to reach TRL 7–8 by project end (may start at any TRL).
• Optional Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) capped at 10% of EU funding; third-party grants up to €60 000 each.
• JRC may participate experimentally in testing PES schemes.
• Proposals must demonstrate complementarities and synergies with existing Horizon Europe and LIFE projects, EU-funded studies and pilot processes.
• Effective involvement of Social Sciences and Humanities disciplines is required.
• Involvement of SMEs—especially farmer-SMEs—is strongly encouraged.
• Proposals must include a dedicated task, budget and plan for collaboration (joint events, workshops, dissemination) with other selected projects.
Important dates
Open from: 06/05/2025
Deadline:24/09/2025
Application period has ended
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