This call is implemented under the Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action HDHL Food4Health. The overall aim of this Knowledge Hub call is to develop a robust, interdisciplinary, and policy-relevant understanding of the relationship between food processing, human health, and sustainable food systems.
Who can apply
Please note: this is the second stage of the call and involves submitting a joint full proposal only for the selected applicants that submitted an (mandatory) Expression of Intrest.
Please note: Revisions have been made to the call text (22nd of June 2026). Please see the call text for details.
In general, applications may be submitted by applicants working in universities (or other higher education institutions), in research institutes and public research organisations, in non-profit organisations, and as well as public stakeholders. The eligibility of the afore-mentioned entities, together with the proposal approached and details of eligible costs (personnel, material, consumables, equipment, travel money, etc.) are subject to the administrative and regulatory requirements of individual funding organisations and may therefore vary. Details of the national/regional eligibility criteria from individual funding organisations are provided in Annex 1 of the Call text.
Researchers and other experts from countries not funding this call or not eligible for funding can apply to participate in the Food Processing Policy Implementation Network at their own expense (in-kind).
What for
Aim and objectives of the call
The overall aim is to develop a robust, interdisciplinary, and policy-relevant understanding of the relationship between food processing, human health, and sustainable food systems.
The objectives of the Knowledge Hub call are to:
• consolidate and harmonise existing knowledge on food processing, human health, and sustainability,
• integrate disciplinary perspectives (nutrition, food science, environmental science, public health, economics, behavioural sciences),
• assess implications of processing for health, environmental sustainability, resilience, and equity,
• identify research gaps and future joint programming needs,
• provide actionable outputs for policymakers, professionals, and stakeholders,
• strengthen European capacity in this domain, including through Early Career Scientist (ECS) engagement.
Scope of the call
The activities under the Knowledge Hub call may address—but is not limited to—the following thematic areas:
• classification systems for food processing (NOVA and alternatives);
• nutritional and physiological impacts of processing techniques;
• environmental and climate impacts of processing, packaging, and distribution;
• socio-economic and behavioural drivers of processed food consumption;
• policy and market levers influencing processing trends;
• methodological gaps in measuring processing levels and impacts;
• implications for equitable and sustainable diets.
The selected network is not expected to conduct primary research but to coordinate, align, synthesise and generate new insights from existing evidence.
Please find more information in the call text.
What to request
The indicative total budget is €518,000, in addition to the in-kind contributions. The budget indication per country represents the total funding available for all applicants in that country. The expected duration of the funded network is 24 months.
The participating organisations and their indicative contributions are as follows:
| Country | Funding party | Acronym | Contribution |
| Belgium1 | Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food | ILVO | in-kind |
| Germany | Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity represented by the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food | BMLEH represented by BLE | €108,000 |
| Ireland | Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine | DAFM | €150,000 |
| Romania | ANC | €250,000 | |
| Lithuania | Kaunas University of Technology | KTU | in-kind |
| The Netherlands | The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development | ZonMw | €10,000 |
1 This institute contributes only in-kind for researchers working at this institute, and will cover networking and travel costs.
When
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 5th of February 2026 | Deadline EoI (14:00 CET) |
| 3rd of April 2026 | SEC and CSC meeting for evaluation of EoIs |
| 17th of April 2026 | Communication of EoI selection + Invitation to Networking and Co-Creation Meeting |
| 20th of May 2026 | Networking and co-creation meeting (please save this date already in your agenda) |
| 11th of August 2026 | Deadline for full proposal (14:00 CEST) |
| September 2026 | SEC & CSC meeting for evaluation of proposal |
| September-October 2026 | Final funding decision |
| Starting date funded network | Within 6 months after the funding decision was made |
Only applications submitted via My ZonMw and before the deadline will be considered. Applications submitted through other channels or after the deadline will not be taken into consideration.
It is important to start with your application in My ZonMw on time:
• If you do not yet have an My ZonMw account, then you should create this on time to prevent any possible registration problems;
Downloads for your application
Checklist for submitting the full proposal (only for selected applicants from the Expression of Interest phase):
• Write the full proposal in English
• Add letter of committment(s) (if applicable)
• Submit your application no later than 14:00:00 CEST on 23 June 2026.
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Features
- Opening date: 8 January 2026
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Budget subsidy round:
- € 518,000
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Maximum budget per application:
- See grant call text