Optimising the water-nutrient-energy nexus for sustainable and climate smart agriculture in Africa (FNSSA)

Expected outcomes

• Projects should contribute to all of the expected outcomes.
• For each outcome (EO1 to EO2), name who will use or adopt your results (a specific group, not “industry” or “society”), how they get them, and the indicator that shows the change, with baseline, target and date.
• Use the topic's own words for each outcome, so the evaluator can tick it off.

What the scope asks for

Evaluators check the proposal against these sentences of the scope. Answer each one visibly, in the call's own words.

• “Proposals should:. assess needs and opportunities (economic, environmental and social) for sustainable water, nutrient and energy management in agriculture for food and/or non-food uses;. improve existing and develop new knowledge, practices and tools for on farm sustainable management of agricultural resources at the nexus of water, nutrient and energy inputs and outputs;. evaluate the impact of the proposed practices and tools in terms of…”
• “Proposals should contribute to the implementation of the short-term and medium-term actions outlined in the AU-EU Innovation Agenda in the priority area of Green Transition, (notably action (4) and (5) among short-term actions and (1) and (3) for medium-term actions), and aim to translate R&I efforts into tangible business, products, services, development and employment opportunities in Africa and Europe.”
• “Proposals must implement the multi-actor approach to ensure the adequate involvement of the public authorities, advisory services and farmer organisations.”
• “Proposals should adopt an inclusive approach that respects and integrates local knowledge and practices alongside technological and scientific expertise, where indigenous insights are enriched by innovative approaches and new technologies through mutual learning.”
• “Proposals should propose collaboration opportunities with ongoing projects funded under Horizon Europe, in particular those establishing living-labs in Africa.”
• “Furthermore, proposals are encouraged to seek connections with Regional Multi-actors Research Networks on Agroecology supported by the EC in Africa.”
• “Proposals are encouraged to work together with the European Commission’s Knowledge Centre on Global Food and Nutrition Security to leverage its knowledge base on relevant topics and to expand the reach and dissemination of the project's results.”
• “Proposals are encouraged to seek complementarities with the activities of the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean areas (PRIMA).”
• “A maximum of 30% of the proposed budget should be allocated to this purpose. https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/news/all-research-and-innovation-news/new-eu-africa-innovation-agenda-enhance-cooperation-science-technology-and-innovation-2023-07-20_en.”

Conditions that shape the proposal

• Part B, sections 1–3: 45 pages (standard application form). Text beyond the limit is not read; tables and figures count.
• Lump sum: the budget is fixed per work package and paid when each work package is completed. Every work package needs activities and deliverables an evaluator can verify, and the effort must match the money.
• Two-stage submission: the first stage uses a shorter proposal and is assessed on Excellence and Impact only. Check the page limit and sections in the stage-one form of your call.
• Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout: “Applicants submitting a proposal for a blind evaluation (see General Annex F) must not disclose their organisation names, acronyms, logos nor names of personnel in the proposal abstract and Part B of their first-stage application (see General Annex E).”
• Other Eligible Conditions: “The following additional eligibility criteria apply: the proposals must apply the multi-actor approach. See definition of the multi-actor approach in this work programme part.”
• Other Eligible Conditions: “The following additional eligibility criteria apply: due to the specific challenge of this topic, in addition to the minimum number of participants set out in the General Annexes, consortia must include at least three independent legal entities established in an African Union member state*.”
• Other Eligible Conditions: “International organisations with headquarters in a Member State or Associated Country are exceptionally eligible for funding.”
• Other Eligible Conditions: “The following additional eligibility criteria apply: Due to the scope of this topic, legal entities established in all African Union member states* are exceptionally eligible for Union funding. * "African Union member states" includes countries whose membership has been temporarily suspended.”
• Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds: “The first-stage proposals of this topic will be evaluated blindly.”

Impact pathway and traps

• The scope expects pilots or demonstration. Name the sites, the partners who run them and what is measured there.
• Keep outputs, outcomes and impacts apart: what you deliver, what changes when others use it, and the long-term effect.
• For each destination impact you claim, show which of your outcomes feeds it. Destination impacts are long-term effects, not project deliverables.
• Name the barriers outside the project (regulation, markets, user behaviour) that could block uptake, and what you will do if they do.
• Section 2.3 (the summary canvas) is optional on this call; the old split into scientific, economic and societal impact is no longer required.