Minister Grealish announces department support for two new European research calls in Agroecology and Food Systems
- Published on: 15 December 2025
- Last updated on: 10 March 2026
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, with special responsibility for research and innovation, Noel Grealish, has announced the department’s involvement in two new research calls under the European Partnerships on ‘Agroecology’ and ‘FutureFoodS’.
Speaking on the announcement, Minister Grealish said:
“I am pleased to announce that my department will participate as a funder in these two new research calls by the ‘Agroecology’ and ‘FutureFoodS’ European Partnerships. Collaboration with European partners is critical in developing expertise and pooling resources in the areas of circular, resilient and sustainable agriculture and food systems. Our financial support will enable Irish researcher involvement in these two calls, which will help develop practical and policy-relevant knowledge on the genetic diversity and variability of plants and animals, and improving the resilience of circular food processing systems.”
Funding from the department under the Agroecology call will focus on proposals exploring plant and animal genetic diversity and variability that will support the transition to sustainable farming systems. This will include, for example, research to develop crop varieties and animal breeds adapted to specific environmental conditions, breeding for resilience to climate, pest and disease stress, and breeding for improved feed efficiency or reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Funding under the ‘FutureFoodS’ call will provide support to research proposals that focus on developing circular, resilient and sustainable food systems. This will include, for example, research to up-cycle food processing side streams, designing innovative food preservation methods, and investigating the potential for new fermentation technologies in food processing.
Detailed information on the call scope, application guidelines, eligibility criteria and available funding are provided through the websites of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Agroecology Partnership and the FutureFoodS Partnership.
Notes
Background – Partnerships
European Partnerships bring the European Commission and private and/or public partners together to address some of Europe’s most pressing challenges through concerted research and innovation initiatives. They are a key implementation tool of Horizon Europe.
Third Co-funded Call of the Agroecology Partnership
The call on ‘Fostering plant and animal genetic diversity and empowering farmers to accelerate the agroecological transition’ is the third call of the European Partnership on Accelerating Farming Systems Transition: Agroecology Living Labs and Research Infrastructure (AELLRI), otherwise known as ‘Agroecology’. The partnership aims to accelerate the transition towards sustainable, climate and ecosystem friendly farming practices according to three principal objectives.
The research topic supported by the department in this Call is:
- Topic 1: Enhancing the genetic diversity and variability of crops and livestock for the agroecological transition
The Call follows a two-step procedure that includes a pre-proposal submission step followed by the full proposal submission.
- the deadline for pre-proposal submission: 18 February 2026, 14:00 CET
- the deadline for the submission of proposals: 8 July 2026, 14:00 CEST
Second Co-funded Call of the FutureFoodS Partnership
The call on ‘Accelerating Food Sustainability - through Household Dietary Shifts, Trust and Transparency, and Innovations in Circular Food Processing Systems’ is of the second call of the European ‘FutureFoodS’ Partnership, which aims to achieve environmentally friendly, socially secure and fair, economically viable, healthy and safe food systems in Europe by 2050.
The research topic supported by the department in this call is:
- Topic 2: Towards diverse, sustainable and circular food processing systems
The call follows a two-step procedure that includes a pre-proposal submission step followed by the full proposal submission.
- the deadline for pre-proposal submission: 11 February 2026, 13:00 CET
- the deadline for the submission of proposals: 27 July 2026, 13:00 CEST
Financial support
Irish financial support for the two Partnership Calls is being provided through the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Research Programme. The department will provide funding for successful Irish applicants that apply under the relevant topics of the call.