Funding for EIT Food Collaborative Missions Programmes

They have built a network dedicated to bringing real world change through collaborative programmes in skills, education, entrepreneurship, start-up investment, public engagement and communications. By delivering these programmes in partnership, they aim to create a culture and build a community which sees the long-term value in the food innovation they fund.

With this new launch, they are able to offer a fast-track to collaboration and partnership between EIT Food, their community and organisations who share their ambition for impact.

Purpose

• EIT Food already runs a significant portfolio of funding activity, regional community engagement and “Infrastructure Programmes”. These programmes help to focus effort and support positive impact in areas such as: knowledge exchange capability building; entrepreneur development; new business growth and investment; skills and education provision; public engagement; and innovation management.
• They welcome proposals to form new collaborative programmes that build upon, link and amplify these capabilities, and giving their new routes and approaches to achieve even more impact in these areas in line with their Mission Targets. They are always interested in programmes which identify and solve barriers where long-term structural issues (Strategic Levers) affect progress towards Mission Targets.
• Programmes should connect key companies, research organisations, social enterprises, regions and other stakeholders across relevant economic, industry and social value chains. Engaging beneficiaries or challenge owners with well-defined impact needs should be central to your Programme objectives.
• You should also outline how you wish to engage with EIT Food leadership and network to ensure maximum connection with existing capabilities with minimum duplication. They wish to actively work with your consortium leadership to steer, direct and connect new platforms to multiply their impact, KPI achievement and influence.
• They are looking for programmes that:
  • Demonstrate a systemic approach to meeting societal challenges within the food system by delivering one or more Mission Targets.
  • Are problem-led, with a clearly defined pathway to impact for those who benefit and those organisations working with them.
  • Build a portfolio of connected activities that enhance collaboration across relevant economic, industry and social value chains.
  • Are led by an organisation with a significant capability to scale and drive adoption of programme results.
  • Connect to EIT Food infrastructure programmes and assets (community management, skills, innovation, public and policy engagement) to scale the impact and reach of their existing investments.
  • Build value from their portfolio of previously funded innovations and start-up community capabilities.
  • Create and support platforms for addressing major barriers and opportunities related to the Strategic Levers for food systems change described in their Mission Insight Reports.
  • Produce and communicate insights which can inform future EIT Food public affairs activities, fundraising and strategic decision making.

Funding Information

• The starting funding amount allocated to this 2023–2025 funding scheme is €30m.
• Co-funding
  • For guidance purposes, they anticipate total programme grant budget requested from EIT Food will be a contribution of no more than €1,000,000 per year for up to 2 years towards a maximum of 70% of the total costs of your programme.
• Initially, these programmes can run for up to 24 months. This can be extended for a further 12 months at the sole discretion of EIT Food’s Executive Management Team, giving a maximum programme run time of 36 months.

Eligibility Criteria

• Organisation Eligibility
  • Organisations directly in receipt of EIT-sourced funding from EIT Food:
    • must be a legally incorporated entity in one of the EU or Horizon Europe eligible country for a minimum of one year pre-application.
    • must have at least one year’s published accounts showing business Activity.
    • For collaborations where applicant(s) is not receiving EIT-sourced funding (e.g. established in a Non-Associated Country for Horizon Europe), the applicant(s) must have a formal incorporation or registration as a legal entity in their primary place of business.
• Consortia Eligibility
  • The programme must ensure a pan-European dimension, delivering outcomes across multiple countries and demonstrating a KTI embedded by design.
    • Applying consortia therefore must involve at least two independent entities from two different eligible countries) committed to collaboration, representing at least two sides of the knowledge triangle, with at least one industry or social enterprise organisation.
  • Applications by consortium must demonstrate active roles for each organisation that are commensurate with the level of budget.
• Proposal Eligibility
  • To be eligible proposals must:
    • Respond to one or more Mission targets
    • Deliver a programme of connected activities, projects or workstreams, that enhance collaboration across a value chain i.e. not single projects
    • Deliver impact within Europe
    • Be a minimum of 6 months in duration
    • Be submitted on time via Salesforce, in English
    • Be complete applications
    • Include any relevant KPI and assessment metrics
    • Include relevant deliverables and outputs
    • Include relevant budget
    • Include risk register
    • Include all relevant supporting documents necessary to assess the application. You must include all mandatory documents: Business Model Canvas and Launch Plan and where relevant, Success Sharing Mechanism (for commercial outcomes) and Proof of TRL
    • Not cause EIT Food to come into conflict with its funding or balance of impact principles.

For more information, visit European Institute of Innovation & Technology Food.