GUARDIANS Co-Creation Open Call
Seeks to empower small and medium-sized farms through digital solutions by fostering collaborations between tech providers and farms to co-design, develop, and test innovative technologies.
The GUARDIANS Co-Creation Open Call is an initiative aimed at empowering small and medium-sized farms by fostering collaboration between technology providers and agricultural entities. This call seeks innovative projects that leverage digital solutions to enhance farm sustainability and competitiveness.
Type of projects to be funded: The call funds projects co-designed by consortia comprising a technology provider and a small or medium-sized farm. The focus is on developing, testing, and validating technological solutions that address real-world challenges faced by small-scale farms.
Sectors / domain: The open call targets the agricultural and livestock sectors, specifically aiming to equip small-scale farms with advanced technological solutions.
Individual or consortium: Projects must be proposed by consortia consisting of two entities: a technology provider (such as SMEs, RTOs, or universities) and a small or medium-sized farm.
Specific eligibility requirements:
- Eligible organisations: Technology providers can be SMEs (including Startups), RTOs and Universities, in consortium with Small or medium-sized farms.
- Eligible participants include entities legally registered in EU Member States or Associated Countries to Horizon Europe.
- Proposals selected for this Open Call are expected to start at a Technological
Readiness Level (TRL) of 4 - 5 and to achieve a TRL7.
- Consortia should not include GUARDIANS Consortium partners or entities under financial difficulty.
Specific topics or challenges: Projects should address technological innovation and sustainability challenges for small-scale farms, aiming to enhance their resilience and adaptability.
Projects duration: Supported projects are expected to be completed over a 15-month period:
- Phase 1 - Co-Design (3 months).
- Phase 2 - Development (6 months).
- Phase 3 - Validation (6 months).
- Phase 4 - Replication (3 months).
Budget, funding rates and payment conditions:
- Funding rate: 100% (lump sum)
- Budget conditions / limitations: Each project may receive up to €81,000, divided between the tech provider and the farm as follows: Tech provider will receive up to €60,000; farm will receive up to €21,000.
- Payments: Funds are distributed in four instalments based on project milestones: Design (€16,000), Development (€26,000), Validation (€30,000), Replication (€10,000).
Key dates:
- Open Call: 15/05/2025 to 15/07/2025
- Evaluation: 24/07/2025 to 29/08/2025
- Results: 08/09/2025 to 15/09/2025
- Contracting: 16/09/2025 to 16/10/2025.
Links
Closes
15/07/2025
Max funding per project
81.000€