New research action open on Food Systems and Climate

The new ERA‐NET‐Cofund on Food Systems and Climate (FOSC) opened its trans‐continental call for research proposals in the field of food systems and climate. The call will support basic and applied research and is focused on the interactions between climate change and food systems: assessing the consequences of climate change on agri‐food markets and developing sustainable and resilient food value chains in the context of changing food needs and patterns (diets). The call aims to support scientifically excellent, trans‐continental research, development and innovation projects that contribute to the knowledge base on food systems and climate change. Submitted proposals must be multidisciplinary and should address at least one of the following topics:

• Assess climate change‐related risks for food value chains, including impacts on producers, prices, availability, quality, international trade and food security, and resulting changes in consumer behaviours;
• Promote innovative technology deployment to build sustainable and resilient food value chains influenced by changing food needs and patterns, and to develop better efficiency of the inputs and outputs of food systems;
• Improve resilience and reduce volatility in agri‐food production and food markets to sustainably improve food security in the context of climatic variation;
• Reduce food losses under climate change, including novel approaches to valorise side streams and reduce food waste.

The joint call has an indicative budget of approximately EUR 17 million including EC top‐up funding and brings together 25 funding organizations of 21 countries from 3 continents. The Netherlands is one of the funding partners. The pre‐proposal deadline is the 19th of February 2020, full proposal deadline is July 21st 2020.

Read the press release and the call documents on the FOSC website.