EIT Food Open Innovation Call 2023
Applications for EIT Food’s Open Innovation Call 2023 are now open!
Accelerating innovation to create positive change in the food system
Together we can accelerate innovation to create positive change in the food system
Have you got an idea for an innovative project that will create positive change in the food system? Then we want to hear from you.
If you’ve got an innovative project that will create positive change in the food system, we want to help. We’re looking for projects that will put new products on the market, introduce new and improved commercial processes and services, and achieve:
- Healthier Lives Through Food
- A Net Zero Food System
- A Fully Transparent, Fair and Resilient Food System
For more inspiration, check out EIT Food for Thought, a space where we discuss studies, ideas, and knowledge around our key innovation focus areas with you on a regular basis.
You can download our latest editions here or go to this page to read all articles, news and innovation references and filter on your area(s) of interest.
We can provide funds of up to 70% of your project costs to de-risk your investment, leaving you free to focus on finishing rather than funding.
Important information for UK participants
Good news for UK participants in EIT Food activities! They will be eligible for recovery of project costs for 2023 through the UK Government’s Guarantee Scheme
Webinars for applicants: please find all video recordings of EIT Food Open Innovation Call 2023 Webinars below
What is EIT Food?
EIT Food is the world’s largest food innovation community, creating connections right across the food system. Supported by the EU, we invest in projects, organisations and individuals who share our goals for a healthy and sustainable food system.
Key Dates
Call Opens: 19 August 2022
Submission Window 1:
- Deadline: 14 October 2022
Submission Window 2:
- Deadline: 13 April 2023
How does the funding work?
During the Activity – Our Funding for You
As long as you can demonstrate your ability to fund 30% of your project costs from other sources, we can reimburse up to 70% of your project costs for Innovation Challenge Activities. There are rules around which costs are allowed and how you can claim them.
After the Activity– Giving Back to the EIT Food Community
In return for our funding, we ask you to give a commitment that, if your Activity is successful, you’ll pay a percentage of the original grant back to us in the future as a form of community re-investment. Each call for proposals will publish the latest rates we’ll be asking for.
We’re a not-for-profit organisation, so these community re-investment funds are directly invested in our future Activities. The payment commitment only kicks in once your product or service is on the market and earning an income – unless you choose to pay us earlier and bring the financial relationship to an end.
What are we looking for?
We co-fund the development of commercial projects designed to improve our food system. We’ve grouped these into Missions to help us plan and monitor our Activity more effectively.
To help us know whether we’re answering Mission problems effectively in the Activities we fund, we identified 6 focus areas. These are the strategic technology areas within the food system where we think answers might come from. For each Focus Area, we ask applicants to align their proposals according to specific challenges for Call 2023. Find more information on Focus Areas here and read about the specific challenges in Annex 2 of the Call Guidelines.
Lastly, we’ve also identified a set of target indicators. These help us to make sure the projects are making good progress. You can find the kind of outcomes we want to see from you in detail in the Call Guidelines document above.
Mandatory Documents
- Business Model Canvas Template
- Commercialisation and Financial Return Mechanism Template
- Criticality Map
- PLAZA Submission Template - PDF version of the submission form. Actual submissions should be completed via PLAZA.
Who can apply?
Participants from Member States (MS) of the European Union (EU) and Horizon Europe Associate Countries are welcome to submit proposals.
You don’t have to be an existing partner organisation or member of EIT Food to apply for funding but, by becoming one, you’ll gain access to a valuable source of expertise and potential collaborators to work with.
We’ll provide you with access to our online community to help build your consortium if, or when, you decide to apply for funding.
How to apply?
To begin an EIT Food proposal submission, applicants must register in Plaza, EIT Food´s proposal submission platform. Please note:
- PLAZA registration is not automatic. The EIT Food PLAZA support team must approve all registrations.
- Please register at least 5 working days before the call closes to ensure there is time to check your registration information and approve your registration request.
- Once approved, you will receive a one-time password for you to log in and begin your proposal.
For more detailed information, check out our webinars below.
How do we support you?
To assist you in preparing and submitting your proposals, we offer:
- Call Webinars: Join our informational webinars, aimed at supporting you in your proposal submission, and our matchmaking events. Our goal is to ensure open, free, and fair access to information as you prepare your proposals.
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to find answers to the most frequently asked applicant questions.
- Frequently Asked Questions on the Financial Return Mechanism
- Online Ideation and Matchmaking Platform: Join the EIT Food Open Innovation Platform, the platform is developed to facilitate ideation and matchmaking for the Open Innovation Call 2023. You can access the online platform to strengthen your network, find new collaborators and stimulate networking and co-creation among users via two specific tools (Idea Market and Skills Market).
- Help. Can't find the answer you need at the webinars, in the FAQ list or on our Call Page? Please contact call2023@eitfood.eu.
Activity leaders are strongly recommended to complete proposals well in advance of the deadline. If a technical failure occurs when submitting, please email the PDF of your completed proposal and mandatory documents to call2023@eitfood.eu before the deadline.
EIT Food Webinar: Open Innovation Call 2023 Guidelines for 2nd Application Window Presentation
Financial Return Mechanism Webinar - 2nd Application Window
Guidelines Webinar - 2nd Application Window
Operations Webinar
How to write your proposal on PLAZA
Guidelines Webinar - 1st Application Window
Pre-Launch Webinar
Stay up to date with the Open Innovation Call 2023!
