Why does research and innovation on genetic resources and breeding matter?
Genetic resources play a crucial role in agricultural and forest-based activities. They hold the key to diverse and healthy diets and to the adaptation of plants and animals to a changing and more variable climate.
This potential is not sufficiently used and current farming modes increasingly rely on a limited number of plant and animal species. Three major crops (rice, wheat and maize) provide more than 50% of the world’s plant-derived calories. Reversing this trend and increasing the resilience of farming and forestry is critical and of global concern, especially now in an era of accelerated climate change and an ever increasing population.
Research an innovation activities aim to halt the further loss of genetic diversity by tapping into the vast gene pool of plant and animals and making it available to breeders, farmers and ultimately consumers.
Breeding efforts are also being undertaken to broaden the genetic base of cultivated crops and create varieties that meet the variety of demands related to quality, resilience and sustainability.
Funding opportunities
Horizon Europe
Calls for proposals and funding information related to agriculture, forestry and rural areas
European agricultural fund for rural development
The rural development policy supports innovation through a range of interventions, including the European innovation partnership for agriculture (EIP-AGRI)
LIFE programme
Some genetic resources and breeding related calls may be found in this programme
Projects and results
AgriResearch factsheet on genetic resouces and breeding
This factsheet collects most of the research and innovation related to resources and breeding under Horizon 2020 societal challenge 2
EIP-AGRI agricultural innovation project database
The one-stop shop to EU-funded agricultural innovation projects
Research project database (CORDIS)
The Commission's primary portal for results of EU-funded research projects
Project success stories
Stories of particularly successful EU-funded research projects
Collaboration and jobs
EIP-AGRI activities on genetic resources and breeding
The EIP-AGRI fosters innovation in agriculture and forestry connecting knowledge and practice
Find project partners
Search and view profiles of all organisations that have received funding via the funding and tenders portal
EIC Accelerator
Funding and investments through the EIC Fund for individual start-ups and small companies to develop and scale up game changing innovations
Jobs (EURAXESS)
Researcher jobs in related fields
Scientific publications, tools and databases
Scientific publications
Scientific publications produced by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC)
Scientific research tools and databases
The Commission's Joint Research Centre compiles databases and develops software and modelling tools
EU Open Data Portal
Single point of access to open data produced by the EU institutions. All data is free to use for commercial and non-commercial purposes
OpenAIRE
You can access all scientific publications from Horizon 2020 via OpenAIRE
Copernicus
Access to agriculture data from the Copernicus programme