GSS EU Science Funding Gateway

Proposals will:

• Explore alternative systems and designs to improve the overall sustainability of local and regional agricultural production systems in a variety of landscapes, soil and climatic conditions, across the EU and associated countries;
• Consider the environmental, economic and social impacts of primary production systems and contribute to the characterisation of diversity and its relation to expected functions and benefits;
• Develop sustainable diversification strategies that can optimise the production of agricultural feedstock in the emerging bio-based economy. These could include the co-production of food and non-food products (e.g. through intercropping systems), diversification and optimisation of crops cultivated in greenhouses for high value products, optimisation of intermediary/catch crops to increase the biomass production in a sustainable way and circular low-emission livestock or mixed farming systems.
• Optimise diversification strategies for different European agricultural production models/sectors with a view to minimise potential land conflicts and in line with agro-ecological practices.
• Consider contributing data and results to the European Commission’s Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy hosted by the JRC.

Social innovation is recommended when the solution is at the socio-technical interface and requires social change, new social practices, development of training material for upskilling of reskilling of the workforce, social ownership or market uptake.