Carbon farming innovation and scale-up

Overview

Funding for projects that develop innovations to facilitate and scale carbon farming certification under the EU Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation. Targets consortia integrating advanced technologies and multi-actor collaboration to reduce monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) costs and enhance certification uptake.

Who Can Apply

Consortia of legal entities (e.g., research institutions, SMEs, public authorities, land managers, certification bodies) from eligible countries. Proposals must apply a multi-actor approach, involving practitioners such as farmers, foresters, and relevant stakeholders.

Funding Details

• Maximum grant amount: 11,000,000 EUR
• Funding type: Lump sum
• Total budget: Not specified

What Is Funded

• Development of models, methods, and data for carbon farming MRV systems to reduce costs and administrative burden.
• Integration of advanced technologies (e.g., AI, blockchain, Earth observation, IoT) to harmonize data collection and verification.
• Open-access lists of models, sampling protocols, and datasets to support CRCF implementation.
• Capacity-building and technical support for stakeholders (land managers, certification bodies, public authorities).
• Awareness-raising and data-sharing initiatives for CRCF users, buyers, and financiers.
• Identification and mitigation of obstacles to large-scale CRCF participation, including improvements to certification methodologies and incentive structures.

Technology / Maturity Requirements

• Target Technology Readiness Level (TRL): 4–6 at project start, expected to reach TRL 5 by project end.

Key Dates

• Open date: 2027-04-19
• Deadline: 2027-09-22

Application Process (High-Level)

• Single-stage application process.
• Submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Geographic Scope & Language

• Eligible countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, United Kingdom, Switzerland.
• Application language: English.

Notes

• Proposals must comply with the multi-actor approach and involve relevant stakeholders.
• Use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS data is mandatory if satellite-based Earth observation is employed.
• Collaboration with other projects under this topic and related Horizon Europe initiatives (e.g., Mission "A Soil Deal for Europe," EU Soil Observatory) is required.