EIT Food Open Innovation Call 2023

Publication date
August 25, 2022
Deadline
October 14, 2022
Short description

Accelerating innovation to create positive change in the food system

Together we can accelerate innovation to create positive change in the food system

Have you got an idea for an innovative project that will create positive change in the food system? Then apply now!

If you’ve got an innovative project that will create positive change in the food system, get support. EIT is looking for projects that will put new products on the market, introduce new and improved commercial processes and services, and achieve:

  • Healthier Lives Through Food
  • A Net Zero Food System
  • A Fully Transparent, Fair and Resilient Food System

EIT can provide funds of up to 70% of your project costs to de-risk your investment, leaving you free to focus on finishing rather than funding.

Who is EIT Food?

EIT Food is the world’s largest food innovation community, creating connections right across the food system. Supported by the EU, we invest in food entrepreneurs, projects, organisations and individuals who share our goals for a healthy and sustainable food system.

How does the funding work?

During the Activity – Our Funding for You

As long as you can demonstrate your ability to fund 30% of your project costs from other sources, EIT can reimburse up to 70% of your project costs for Innovation Challenge Activities. There are rules around which costs are allowed and how you can claim them.

After the Activity– Giving Back to the EIT Food Community

In return for our funding, EIT ask you to give a commitment that, if your Activity is successful, you’ll pay a percentage of the original grant back to EIT in the future as a form of community re-investment. Each call for proposals will publish the latest rates EIT will be asking for.

EIT is a not-for-profit organisation, so these community re-investment funds are directly invested in our future Activities. The payment commitment only kicks in once your product or service is on the market and earning an income – unless you choose to pay us earlier and bring the financial relationship to an end.

What is being looked for?

EIT co-funds the development of commercial projects designed to improve our food system. EIT has grouped these into Missions to help plan and monitor the Activity more effectively.

To help EIT know whether they are answering Mission problems effectively in the Activities they fund, EIT identified 6 focus areas. These are the strategic technology areas within the food system where they think answers might come from. For each Focus Area, they ask applicants to align their proposals according to specific challenges for Call 2023. Find more information on Focus Areas here and read about the specific challenges in Annex 2 of the Call Guidelines.

Lastly, EIT has also identified a set of target indicators. These help to make sure the projects are making good progress. You can find the kind of outcomes they want to see from you in detail in the Call Guidelines document above.

Who can apply?

Participants from Member States (MS) of the European Union (EU) and Horizon Europe Associate Countries are welcome to submit proposals.

You don’t have to be an existing partner organisation or member of EIT Food to apply for funding but, by becoming one, you’ll gain access to a valuable source of expertise and potential collaborators to work with.

EIT will provide you with access to our online community to help build your consortium if, or when, you decide to apply for funding.

How to apply?

To begin an EIT Food proposal submission, applicants must register in Plaza, EIT Food´s proposal submission platform. Please note:

  • PLAZA registration is not automatic. The EIT Food PLAZA support team must approve all registrations.
  • Please register at least 5 working days before the call closes to ensure there is time to check your registration information and approve your registration request.
  • Once approved, you will receive a one-time password for you to log in and begin your proposal.

For more detailed information, check out our webinars below.

How do we support you?

To assist you in preparing and submitting your proposals, we offer:

  • Call Webinars: Join our informational webinars, aimed at supporting you in your proposal submission, and our matchmaking events. Our goal is to ensure open, free, and fair access to information as you prepare your proposals.
  • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to find answers to the most frequently asked applicant questions.
  • Online Ideation and Matchmaking Platform: Join the EIT Food Open Innovation Platform, the platform is developed to facilitate ideation and matchmaking for the Open Innovation Call 2023. You can access the online platform to strengthen your network, find new collaborators and stimulate networking and co-creation among users via two specific tools (Idea Market and Skills Market).
  • Help. Can't find the answer you need at the webinars, in the FAQ list or on our Call Page? Please contact call23@eitfood.eu.

Activity leaders are strongly recommended to complete proposals well in advance of the deadline. If a technical failure occurs when submitting, please email the PDF of your completed proposal and mandatory documents to call23@eitfood.eu before the deadline.

Key Dates

Call Opens: 19 August 2022

Submission Window 1:

  • Deadline: 14 October 2022, noon CET

Communication to applicants: selected or not selected

  • by 16 January 2023

Submission Window 2:

  • Deadline: 13 April 2023, noon CET

Communication to applicants: selected or not selected

  • by 11 July 2023
Type
  • Other
Geographical focus
  • Europe
Scientifc field / Thematic focus
  • Agricultural Sciences

Entry created by Admin WBC-RTI.info on August 25, 2022
Modified on August 25, 2022