The new Horizon 2020 Work Programme for 'Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, Marine, Maritime and Inland Water Research and the Bioeconomy' has a budget of 1.3 billion euro up to and including 2020. For many topics within this programme it is important that you use a so-called multi-actor approach. We listed the five most important points of attention for you.

What is the Horizon 2020 Work Programme 'Food Security'?

The Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge (SC) 2 Work Programme for ‘Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, Marine, Maritime and Inland Water Research and the Bioeconomy ' focuses on the sustainable management of land and water to secure healthy food as well as the delivery of public goods such as biodiversity and clean water. Furthermore, it supports innovative food and marine industries, the bioeconomy and dynamic rural areas.

Chance of success is expected to be smaller

Within the SC2 Work Programme 381 eligible proposals were submitted in 2017. With 72 granted projects, the success rate for 2017 is 19% (in comparison: 177 eligible proposals were submitted in 2016, with a success rate of 36%). With the publication of the new SC2 Work Programme, being the last Work Programme in Horizon 2020, it is expected that a large number of proposals will be submitted, reducing the chances of success even more. In order to increase your overall score and chances of success, it is not only important to write an excellent proposal (with a high level of innovation, a huge impact and a well-thought-out work plan), but also to ensure that your project stands out through a multi-actor approach.

Multi-actor approach increases success rate Specifically within the SC2

Work Programme, building blocks for innovation are expected to come from both science and practice as well as from intermediaries, such as farmers, consultants, companies and NGOs. Therefore many call topics in the Work Programme request a multi-actor approach and it is considered a serious shortcoming if your project does not meet these requirements. A multi-actor approach is about involving end users and practitioners in the project, not as a research object, but to use their entrepreneurial skills for developing solutions and creating "co-ownership" of results, which speeds up the acceptance and dissemination of new ideas. In other words, all relevant stakeholders should be part of the consortium, with a clear role and complementing each other in terms of knowledge and skills.

Five points of attention for a successful Horizon 2020 multi-actor project

To build a successful Horizon 2020 multi-actor project, one should ensure that the following points are addressed in the project:

1. How do the objectives of the project address the needs, problems and opportunities of end users and how do they complement existing research and best practices?
2. How do you ensure the input of practical knowledge and dissemination of the results in the long term?
3. What kind of activities are you going to organize in order to stimulate knowledge exchange between partners that can lead to innovative solutions that are more likely to be applied?
4. Via which channels are you going to disseminate results (easy understandable and accessible) which are mostly consulted by end-users and/or available for EU-wide communication?
5. How do you connect with innovation actions on a local level?

Want to know more about H2020 Programme?

PNO has prepared a series of articles describing the current trends within the Programme. Take a look at this link to read all the articles avilable!

Feel free to contact us: we are happy to help you find the right Horizon 2020 grant.