Pathways to Net-Zero: Futureproofing Sustainable Agri-Food Systems Towards 2050

The vision of the Food & Bio Cluster Denmark mission is to position Denmark as the leading country in the innovative and disruptive green transition of agriculture and food production. Food & Bio Cluster Denmark wants to empower a new generation of green solutions and export opportunities accommodating climate, environment, and biodiversity, while safeguarding both animal welfare, food production and employment.

The green transition of the agricultural and food sector is a large and complex task, which can only be solved by partnering across sectors and disciplines. The partnership consists of national and international universities, knowledge institutions, public institutions, public authorities, and companies with green ambitions for transforming the agriculture sector and food production in Denmark.

Food & Bio Cluster Denmark is guided by a technical roadmap developed through broad national engagement of researchers and experts from Danish universities, knowledge institutions, public authorities and industry (Food & Bio Cluster Denmark’s roadmap: Towards a climate-neutral, sustainable and competitive Danish agri-food sector).

In the Impact Framework, Food & Bio Cluster Denmark has identified three key inflection points, where breakthroughs are expected to generate the highest impact. These inflection points set the strategic direction of the mission and articulate how it contributes to accelerating transformations towards the North Star. They are:

• Methane-reducing technologies for Danish livestock production are scalable and cost-effective given regulation by 2030.
• Plant-rich diets with low-climate impact and high-quality nutrition is the first-choice for consumers by 2050.
• Nutrient-rich crop production per hectare of agricultural land reaches its highest sustainable yield, while greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced, and nitrogen leaching and other environmental contaminants are minimized or completely eliminated by 2045.

A fourth strategic area* with high impact potential was identified during the application process. Projects within this area are therefore also of interest:

• Advancing biogenic carbon utilisation and alternative proteins.

This call seeks projects within the four themes that deliver measurable climate and societal impact, while also positioning Denmark as a global frontrunner in sustainable agri-food innovation:

• Theme 1 – Building technical capacity towards impact
• Theme 2 – Addressing barriers to impact
• Theme 3 – Plant breeding
• Theme 4 – Biogenic carbon and alternative proteins

*When developing the Impact Framework, it was decided not to include the fourth strategic area, as an Inflection Point at this point in time.

While focusing on the goals for climate, biodiversity, and environmental sustainability, it is equally important to maintain productivity, jobs, and economic growth, and to strengthen the competitiveness of Danish industry. Food & Bio Cluster Denmark’s ambition is for Denmark to become a world leader in developing and implementing green solutions - moving from technical innovation to sustainable transformation of the agri-food system.

Achieving this requires systemic collaboration across the entire value chain, involving companies, research institutions, public authorities, and civil society. Projects are expected to take a holistic approach, integrating not only technological advances but also societal, economic, and regulatory perspectives. Solutions should be designed for implementation in real-world contexts, with a clear focus on scalability, societal readiness, and international potential.

Food & Bio Cluster Denmark invites proposals that:

• Demonstrate clear potential for GHG reductions and environmental benefits – describing how the project’s GHG reduction potential contributes to 70% reduction in 2030 and/or net-zero emissions in 2050.
• Foster collaboration across the value chain, integrating business, research, and society.
• Contribute to building Denmark’s competitiveness in sustainable food and agriculture.
• Align with Food & Bio Cluster Denmark’s roadmap, North Star, one or more Inflection Points, and the project scope must fall within at least one of the four themes.

Small and large enterprises, startups, research institutions, and public institutions in or outside Denmark and directly involved in the project activities are eligible to apply, participate and receive funding. The lead applicant must hold a Danish CVR number.

To be considered, a project should consist of partners that are active participants in both the design of the project, the realization of the project and the active implementation of the results from the project. Relevant collaborations across enterprises, research institutions and public institutions must also be striven for.

Food & Bio Cluster covers a maximum of 75% of the total project cost. Examples include co-financing of salaries and other expenses directly linked to project implementation. The rules follow the Guidelines for Innomission projects (see guidelines).

Project proposals must be aligned with:

• The mission’s North Star (Impact Framework)
• One or more Inflection Point(s) (Impact Framework), or the fourth strategic area described above.
• One or more Milestones described above, and,
• The Food & Bio Cluster Denmark roadmap.

The project is required to demonstrate considerable potential for impact by 2030 and 2050. Additional criteria place strong emphasis on the inclusion of social science and humanities (SSH) to further strengthen its impact where applicable.

Food & Bio Cluster Denmark does not accept applications where a successful outcome is dependent on receiving additional funding for further research and development from Food & Bio Cluster Denmark (e.g., projects that involve financing in multiple phases to create results).

Mission-oriented dissemination, communication, and collaboration
As a mission-driven organisation, Food & Bio Cluster Denmark requires all projects to work proactively and strategically to communicate results, strengthen cross-project learning, and contribute to the mission throughout the full project period. To ensure this, all projects must allocate a dedicated part of their budget to dissemination, communication, and mission-oriented collaboration activities.

This includes, but is not limited to:

• Dissemination and communication of project results, such as the production of communication materials (e.g., videos, podcasts, articles, social media content, infographics or similar materials).
• Mission-oriented activities, including cross-project collaboration, knowledge-sharing, or other efforts that help integrate the project into the Food & Bio Cluster Denmark project portfolio and strengthen synergies across the mission.
• Participation in Food & Bio Cluster Denmark mission community activities:
   
  • All projects are expected to actively participate in the partner network related to the inflection point they contribute to, with at least one representative per project.
  • Where relevant, projects are encouraged to host a networking meeting during their project period.

The allocated budget does not need to be substantial, but it must be sufficient to ensure effective communication of project achievements, active contribution to Food & Bio Cluster Denmark’s mission narrative, and consistent engagement with the project community.

Projects are expected to describe planned deliverables within dissemination, communication, and mission-oriented collaboration as part of their application.

Call opens: 29 April 2026.
Application deadline: 30 September 2026, 12:00 noon CET.
Expected response: January 2027.
Earliest project start: March 2027.

Applications must be submitted via Food & Bio Clusters application platform. The call and application platform opens April 29, 2026. When applications are submitted the project lead will receive a confirmation of their successful application submission via the provided contact e-mail.

The evaluation process is described in detail in “Process for Investment” and briefly outlined below.

Criteria 1 is evaluated by 1 national expert, while criteria 2-4 will be evaluated by 2-5 international experts. The experts will vary depending on the project proposal. An impartial evaluator will assess all four criteria across all applications. Applicants will be invited to respond to the evaluation of criteria 1-4.

The Food & Bio Cluster Board of Directors will seek to fund projects from the top of their lists of prioritised project proposals and recommend a project portfolio for investment. Final funding decisions will consider the project's alignment with the mission, its contribution to roadmap priorities, and its fit within the overall project portfolio.

After evaluation, applicants are notified of the decision via e-mail from Food & Bio Cluster Denmark. Any issues regarding the submission or evaluation process must be directed to Innovation Fund Denmark. After an application has been approved the application will enter grant negotiations.

It is expected that the project applications will receive either invitation for grant negotiations or rejection of application in January 2027, after which the investment negotiations can be initiated with an expected project start in March 2027.

First and foremost, the project applied for, must contribute to the mission’s North Star, one or more Inflection Points and fit within the roadmap and with one or more of the tracks.

Applicants will be asked to indicate which track the project mainly regards, as well as elaborate on the proposal’s contribution to the North Star and Inflection Points. The evaluation criteria are described in detail in the “Assessment criteria”. Criteria in brief:

1. Strategic fit to the Food & Bio Cluster Denmark roadmap and mission
2. Quality of the idea
3. Impact
4. Quality of execution

• Download the Call text
• Download Application template
• Download Appendix A - Figures, pictures, tables
• Download Appendix B –Key persons
• Download Appendix C – Gantt chart template
• Download Appendix D –Budget template
• Download Declarations for signature FBCD

All application material is also available for dowload via the application platform.