Agriculture News published: 12 December 2025Published on the site: 2 October 2026 6 min read

Horizon Europe Cluster 6: €63 million in two-stage calls, first stage on 8 April 2027

Cluster 6 of Horizon Europe has two two-stage calls in 2027, with €63 million. They open on 4 February 2027, and the first stage closes on 8 April. The single-stage call opens on 20 April.

Todos & Company editorial team · EU funding consultancy since 2006

Horizon Europe Cluster 6: €63 million in two-stage calls, first stage on 8 April 2027

Programme sheet · Opening soon Horizon Europe Cluster 6 — the 2027 two-stage calls (circular economy, water, plant health)

In 2027, Cluster 6 of Horizon Europe (food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment) has two two-stage calls, with a total budget of €63 million. Both open on 4 February 2027, and the first stage closes on 8 April 2027. The main single-stage call also opens on 20 April 2027, with a deadline of 22 September 2027. All topics currently have "forthcoming" status on the European Commission portal, meaning they have been announced but are not yet open.

In brief

Programme: Horizon Europe, Cluster 6, Work Programme 2026–2027, calls HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-two-stage and HORIZON-CL6-2027-02-two-stage
Authority: European Commission, via the Funding & Tenders portal
Beneficiaries: European consortia that may include universities, research institutes, farmers, agri-food and bioeconomy companies, and local and regional authorities
Total budget: €28 million for Call 01 two-stage (2 topics) and €35 million for Call 02 two-stage (3 topics)
Value per project: between €5 and €6 million per project, depending on the topic
Submission period: opens on 4 February 2027. Stage 1 closes on 8 April 2027. Stage 2 closes on 16 September 2027 (Call 01) and on 14 September 2027 (Call 02).
Status: announced (forthcoming), not yet open for submission

What topics do the two-stage calls cover?

The first two-stage call, HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-two-stage, is about the circular economy in cities and regions:

CIRCBIO-01: systemic circular solutions implemented through living labs in cities and regions. The budget is €10 million for 2 projects, €5 million each. It is an innovation action (IA).
CIRCBIO-02: an open topic that uses the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI) to strengthen urban production, in support of the Clean Industrial Deal. The budget is €18 million for 3 projects, €6 million each. It is an innovation action (IA).

The second two-stage call, HORIZON-CL6-2027-02-two-stage, has three topics:

CLIMATE-01: innovative solutions for the European Water Resilience Strategy. The budget is €11 million for 2 projects, €5.5 million each. It is an innovation action (IA).
FARM2FORK-01: plant health and risks linked to emerging pests. The budget is €12 million for 2 projects, €6 million each. It is a research and innovation action (RIA).
FARM2FORK-02: the water–nutrients–energy nexus in sustainable agriculture in Africa. The budget is €12 million for 2 projects, €6 million each. It is a research and innovation action (RIA).

Who can apply and what special conditions apply?

Projects are submitted by international consortia, under the rules in the General Annexes of the Horizon Europe Work Programme. In addition, the topic sheets set a few conditions of their own:

CIRCBIO-01 requires at least five distinct living labs, linked to local or regional authorities, as consortium members. It also requires at least 2 demonstration sites and 3 replication sites, and one of the 3 replication sites must be in a "widening" country. Romania is a widening country, so a town hall or a region in Romania can be a useful partner.
CIRCBIO-02 requires the project to involve economic operators, local authorities and civil society. The results must reach technology readiness level TRL 6–8.
CLIMATE-01 and FARM2FORK-01 require a multi-actor approach: farmers, industry, local authorities, plant health services and advisory services, depending on the topic.
CIRCBIO-01, CLIMATE-01, FARM2FORK-01 and FARM2FORK-02 use lump sum grants. CIRCBIO-02 uses a classic budget-based grant.

The funding rate follows the standard Horizon Europe rules for the type of action (IA or RIA). Check it in the topic sheet and in the General Annexes.

How does two-stage submission work?

In the first stage, by 8 April 2027, you submit a short proposal. Only proposals that pass the evaluation of this stage are invited to submit the full proposal. The deadline for the full proposal is 16 September 2027 for Call 01 and 14 September 2027 for Call 02. Submission is online, via the European Commission's Funding & Tenders portal.

What does the main single-stage call contain?

The HORIZON-CL6-2027-01 call ("Call 01 – single stage") has over 20 topics on biodiversity, the circular bioeconomy and zero pollution. It opens on 20 April 2027 and closes on 22 September 2027. Contributions per project are generally between €3 and €8 million, depending on the topic. One example is BIODIV-01, on integrating remote-sensing and in-situ observations: it has €10 million for 2 projects.

What this means for your business

Our recommendation: if you want to submit in April 2027, the consortium must be formed as early as this autumn. The roughly two months between opening and the first-stage deadline are not enough to find partners from several countries. These calls are not suited to a company looking for a grant for its own investment. They suit entities that can bring something concrete to a European consortium:

Farms and cooperatives can act as demonstration sites or multi-actor partners, especially on the water and plant health topics.
Town halls and county councils are a good fit for the CIRCBIO topics. Romania's widening-country status is a real asset for CIRCBIO-01.
Agri-food and bioeconomy companies with tested technology (TRL 5–6) can position themselves as solution providers in the innovation actions.

Common pitfalls are vague roles in the consortium and exploitation plans without real customers. Another is underestimating the administrative work of an EU grant. For national or regional programmes that suit your own investment, you can start with the eligibility check.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply to Cluster 6 for 2027 now?

No. The topics have "forthcoming" (announced) status. The two-stage calls open on 4 February 2027, and the single-stage call opens on 20 April 2027.

Can a company from Romania lead a project?

Yes, if it meets the rules in the General Annexes of the Work Programme and forms a consortium that meets the topic's conditions. In practice, coordinators usually have prior experience in Horizon Europe projects.

How much does a project receive from the two-stage calls?

Each topic has a fixed EU contribution per project: €5 million for CIRCBIO-01, €6 million for CIRCBIO-02, €5.5 million for CLIMATE-01 and €6 million each for FARM2FORK-01 and FARM2FORK-02.

What happens if I do not pass the first stage?

The proposal cannot submit the full version in that call. You can return in a later call, with the proposal improved on the basis of the evaluators' comments.

Official sources

Information checked on 2 October 2026. Conditions may be changed by the managing authority — check the guide in force before you submit.