Agrifood systems are critical to EU innovation – EIT Food position on Framework Programme 10

EIT Food is the EU’s leading Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC), supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), and the most dynamic public-private partnership for food innovation. EIT Food brings together a network of over 200 public and private partners, spanning a wide range of stakeholders – including NGOs, businesses, and academia – as well as actors across the entire agri-food value chain, from farmers to consumers.

EIT Food fosters collaboration, drives innovation, and transforms agrifood systems through its three missions: Healthier Lives Through Food, Reducing Risk for a Fair and Resilient Food System, and Net Zero Food System.

Horizon Europe has played a pivotal role in driving innovation over the past five years.

EU funding mechanisms are of primary importance in addressing societal challenges, as demonstrated by the success of the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) model. Building on this success, FP10 has the potential to play a crucial role in fostering innovation and developing solutions that enhance the competitiveness, resilience, and sustainability of agrifood systems, ensuring a beneficial transition for both farmers and the environment.

Achieving this requires forward-looking, integrated action across the entire value chain and decisive steps to close the investment gap identified in the Draghi report on EU competitiveness.

Building on insights from the Horizon Europe interim evaluation and the evolving EU policy landscape, the transformation of EU agrifood systems has emerged as a key priority within the EU Partnerships framework. In this context, EIT Food aligns closely with the principles highlighted by President von der Leyen at the 2025 Annual EU Budget Conference, and strongly advocates for:

1. A continued, reformed, and refocused FP10 that capitalises upon Public Private Partnerships to focus on impact and performance while ensuring efficient use of resources.
   
2. Greater constructive collaboration and coherence between EU research and innovation instruments to boost synergies and create seamless innovation pipelines that connect research, startups, SMEs, and market deployment.
   
3. A simplification of participation and administrative processes to reduce burdens and enable faster and more efficient project implementation.
4. A central role in fostering innovative ecosystems and bridging the gap between research, education, and business to:
   1. Integrate the Knowledge Triangle (education, research, and innovation) across programmes and activities;
   2. Support regional partnerships to enhance inclusiveness and leverage diverse regional strengths