The new Horizon Europe 2028–2034 will make available an amount of €175 billion, supporting cutting-edge research and innovation, attracting and nurturing research talent, fostering international collaboration, and connecting science with society.

The new programme, with a time span of 2028 - 2034, will be based on four pillars, and the funding allocation will be as follows:

• Pillar I (Excellent science): €44.079 BILLION

• Pillar II (Competitiveness and society): €75.876 BILLION

• Pillar III: Innovation: €38.785 BILLION

• Pillar IV (European Research Area): €16.262 BILLION

Among these four pillars, Pillar II (Competitiveness and Society) will encompass four activities, of which Activity 2, “Health, Biotech, Agriculture and Bioeconomy”, will be the one relevant to the interests of stakeholders linked to the EU Industrial Agri-Food Ecosystem.

In more detail, the new Programme, which will be of interest to anyone working in the agri-food sector, will involve merging the six clusters of the current Horizon Europe into four for the next planning period. This new element aims for the following:

• Simplification of the operations

• Envisions more focused partnerships aligned with strategic industrial sectors for our competitiveness and resilience 

• Leverages private investments 

• Pulls R&I investments between the EU and Member States 

• More support for research and technology infrastructures 

• Funds cutting-edge research and technology infrastructures 

• Supports facilities, resources and services

Responsible for the funding

The European Commission, particularly through the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) and the European Research Executive Agency (REA), is the agency that executes/manages many of the grants under Horizon Europe.

Financial entities

• European Commission (EC)
   - Responsible for proposing the budget, managing the programme, issuing calls for proposals, and granting funds. 

• Executive Agencies under the European Commission
   - Such as the Research Executive Agency (REA), which handles implementation for many grants.
• European Innovation Council (EIC)
   - Within Horizon Europe (Pillar III – Innovative Europe). Provides grants and equity/quasi-equity to startups, SMEs, etc.
• European Research Council (ERC)
   - Funds excellent frontier science; a distinct entity under Horizon Europe handling research grants.
• Associated Countries & non-EU partners
   - Entities from Horizon Europe Associated Countries can receive funding basically on the same terms as EU Member States.
• Beneficiaries (organisations applying/implementing grants)
   - Universities, research organisations, companies, SMEs, etc. They receive and manage the funds under the rules of Horizon Europe