It has been a busy few months with EU policy and Irish presidency related events of relevance to the Cluster 6 Work Programme 2026/2027 for food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment.

EU AgRI 2040 Conference

The EU AgRI 2040 Conference was held in Brussels on 24th and 25th September 2026. It introduced the recently adopted communication, “New Strategic Approach to Research and Innovation for competitive, resilient and sustainable agriculture, forestry, rural areas and food systems: Future-proofing EU agri-food through AgRI 2040 and Food 2040. The strategy aims to position EU research and innovation as a key driver for the competitiveness, resilience and sustainability of the agri-food sector.

It focuses on defining actions and opportunities to support the three main dimensions of the EU agri-food innovation ecosystem: first, how to strengthen the support to startups, scaleups and market deployment of new agri-food innovations; second, how to accelerate the dissemination and uptake of knowledge and innovation on the ground by all relevant actors, from farmers to consumers; third, prioritising research and innovation needs to achieve greater impact through the frameworks AgRI 2040 and FOOD 2040.

Participants across the two-day conference discussed and co-identified priorities for the next generation of EU research and innovation for agriculture, forestry and rural areas through interactive discussions in thematic breakout session. Material from the EU AgRI 2040 Conference is available online.

Global Bio-economy Summit 2026.

National Delegate for Cluster 6, Helen Murphy, pictured at the Bio-Economy Summit, 20-21 October 2026 held in the Convention Centre Dublin.

The Global Bio-economy Summit (GBS 2026) was held in the Convention Centre Dublin on 20 and 21 of October, with satellite events taking place across the island from 19 to 23 October. More than 1,500 delegates from around the world attended the summit. The theme of the summit “Bioeconomy for Socio-economic Transformation and Climate Action” examined how a sustainable bioeconomy can create new economic opportunities, help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce reliance on expensive fossil fuels.  A central focus throughout the conference was on accelerating the transition from research and innovation to commercial deployment through supportive polices, investment, partnerships and market development.

The summit also provided an opportunity to showcase innovations and emerging commercial activity already taking place across Ireland, with many exhibitors present. Ireland’s first National Bioeconomy Strategy, BioScale2030 was launched there too.  The Strategy provides a clear national framework for building on the progress made in recent years in developing our bioeconomy and reducing reliance on volatile fossil fuels.

The summit was jointly organised by the International Advisory Council on the Global Bioeconomy (IACGB) and the Government of Ireland.  Three principal outputs were: the Summit Communiqué, including the Youth Communiqué, and the Global Bioeconomy Vision 2040 which is supported by the Dublin Bioeconomy Goals. Together, these documents set out priorities for international cooperation, bring young people’s perspectives into the discussion, and provide a long-term direction for advancing a sustainable bioeconomy.

While attending the summit, European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy Jessika Roswall launched the Biobased Europe Alliance, an initiative aimed at addressing barriers to the commercial scale-up of biobased materials, products and technologies across Europe.

Synergy Day 2026

Ireland was also the host country for Synergy Days 2026, which brought Europe’s premier digital agri-food conference to Kilkenny. The event ran from October 20 to 21 and supported dialogue on digital innovation, sustainability and the future of European agriculture – topics closely aligned to European policy priorities.

Recognised as an Associated Event of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, it brought together researchers, policymakers, tech innovators, and farmers from across Europe. Local institutions played a vital part, with South East Technological University’s (SETU’s) Walton Institute helping to anchor the international conference.

Participants engaged in high-level discussions on artificial intelligence, data sharing, and trusted data spaces to transform the modern agri-food sector. The gathering concluded with a series of agricultural field trips across the region.

European Soil Week 2026

The European Mission Soil Week is the flagship annual event of the Horizon Europe Mission ‘‘A Soil Deal for Europe’’ and it is being hosted in Dublin on 17–18 November 2026. The event is organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG-AGRI) and this year is jointly hosted by Teagasc and the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU. The event will gather Europe’s soil community to discuss the critical transition toward sustainable soil management.

Centred around the theme “Turning knowledge into impact,” this year’s conference serves as the core networking space for the Horizon Europe Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe” and related funding opportunities. The Dublin event will bring together in person and online a diverse mix of stakeholders:

  • Policymakers & Researchers: Aligning cutting-edge science with the EU Soil Monitoring Directive.
  • Farmers & Land Managers: Sharing practical, on-the-ground challenges and sustainable practices.
  • Agri-businesses & Financial Institutions: Exploring innovative investments in soil health and long-term food security.

Registration for online attendance is still possible. Please visit their website for further details.

Horizon Europe Cluster 6

EU funding of €742 million was announced in July for 117 new projects funded under the 2025 calls. The full list of funded projects is available here. If you are interested in learning about upcoming calls under the Work Programme 2027, join the Horizon Europe Cluster 6 Info Days on 13 – 14 January 2027 . The info days will be hybrid, hosted in Brussels at the Charlemagne conference facility and streamed online. Registration will open soon. The info days are to be followed by an in-person matchmaking event on the 15 January at the same Brussels venue.

Horizon Europe Cluster 6 Partnerships

The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine continues to co-fund calls under a number of Horizon Europe Partnerships. More details of these can be found on the partnership websites: AGROECOLOGY;  Future Foods; Animal Health and Welfare; Ag Data and AMR. A number of these partnerships have pre-announced calls or have calls that are currently open.

The Forest Partnership commenced in June and was formally launched in Helsinki, Finland on 13-14 October. The partnership’s first call is open and brings together 36 Research Funding Organisations from 27 countries, with an indicative total public funding commitment of up to €40 million, including the European Union co-contribution. More details are available here.

For further information contact helen.murphy@agriculture.gov.ie in relation to Cluster 6 of Horizon Europe, the related partnerships or the soil mission, and to find out more about Horizon Europe go to www.horizoneurope.ie