Target group
The funding program is aimed at researchers working in the field of sustainable food systems and production at universities, non-academic research institutions, and research departments in related sectors.
Funding goals
The EP FutureFoodS aims to drive the transformation of food systems through its four thematic research and innovation areas, which focus on:
- Changing the way we eat
- Changing the way we process and supply food
- Changing the way we connect with food systems
- Changing the way we govern food systems
Funding period and funding amount
The maximum funding period is 36 months.
Requirements
The requirements and specifications for the FWF program Principal Investigator Projects apply.
Information on the current call “Accelerating Food Sustainability – through Household Dietary Shifts, Trust and Transparency, and Innovations in Circular Food Processing Systems”
The call is aimed at researchers working in the field of sustainable food systems. The objective is to fund new cross-border collaborations addressing one of the following topics:
- Domestic/household food practices for enhancing sustainable and healthy diets
- Towards diverse, sustainable and circular food processing systems
- Importance of trust and transparency in sustainable food systems
Projects must demonstrate a clear perspective for transformation, include interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches, and provide an impact plan for system change.
Applicants can choose between the project types Exploratory Research or Accelerating Innovation. Please note that only the project type Exploratory Research is eligible for FWF funding.
Each application must be supported by a minimum of three partners from at least three different participating partner countries. A joint document must be submitted to the central Call Secretariat by the coordinator.
The researchers are funded by their respective national/regional funding organization.
Funding organizations from 20 countries are planning to join this call. Please see the FutureFoodS website for the updated list of participating countries.
Approval
Decided by the FWF Scientific Board based on a recommendation of the Call Board.
Application information
Pre-proposals must be submitted online by February 11, 2026 using the Call Office’s online application system. Please see the FutureFoodS website for a link to the application system.
There will be a two-step submission and review procedure.
- Submission of pre-proposals from December 2, 2025 to February 11, 2026 (1:00 pm CET)
- Submission of full proposals is expected to be from June 1, 2026 to July 27, 2026 (1:00 pm CEST)
- Funding decision: expected in late November 2026
In addition to the application submitted to the Call Office, administrative and financial data as well as academic abstracts (in accordance with the FWF guidelines for Principal Investigator Projects) must also be submitted to the FWF using the online portal elane. In the pre-proposal stage, proposals are submitted under the program category “PIK – International Projects – pre-proposal” (deadline February 12, 2026, 2:00 pm Vienna local time). For the full proposal stage, applicants must choose the program category “KIN – International – Multilateral Initiatives” (Deadline July 28, 2026, 2:00 pm Vienna local time). Both steps are mandatory.
Please note that applications must be approved for submission by the research institutions by the deadlines indicated above. Research institutions need to be registered in the FWF’s research institution portal.
Funding institution
Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
Further information
- FWF principal investigators can apply for up to €450,000.
- Please see the FutureFoodS website for further details.
- For general questions about the call, please contact the Call Office (CO) by email to ptj-futurefoods(at)fz-juelich.de, For specific questions related to the budget, criteria, and rules of your funding organization, please consult your funding organization directly. Contacts and details of the national and regional regulations of the individual funding organizations can be found in the call text on the FutureFoodS website.